Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is urging its customers to be vigilant against utility scams as part of Utility Scam Awareness Day on November 19. The company, in partnership with Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS), is promoting the message “slow down, verify, stop the scam” to help customers recognize and avoid fraudulent schemes.
According to PG&E, reports of scams targeting its customers have remained high throughout 2025. There have been over 21,000 reported incidents so far this year, resulting in nearly $300,000 in losses and an average loss of $670 per customer. Scammers often contact customers by phone, online, or in person and demand immediate payment to prevent disconnection of service.
Matt Foley, lead scam investigator for PG&E, stated: “Scammers will try to create a false sense of urgency to pressure customers by threatening immediate disconnection of your utility services if immediate payment is not made. Remember, PG&E will not contact you for the first time within one hour of service disconnection, and we will NEVER request payment by a pre-paid debit card or via online payment services like Zelle or Venmo. If a call doesn’t feel right, hang up, and log into your account at PGE.com or call our customer service line to verify your billing details.”
Small and medium-sized businesses are also being targeted. PG&E has received nearly 700 reports of scam attempts directed at these business customers during 2025. Scammers tend to focus their efforts during busy business hours.
Monica Martinez, Executive Director of UUAS, said: “Scammers continue to evolve their tactics, often using urgency and threats to pressure customers into making rash decisions. The ‘Slow Down, Verify, Stop the Scam’ framework is a simple, powerful tool designed to cut through that pressure, giving customers the confidence to pause and confirm any suspicious request before it’s too late.”
Customers seeking more information about scams can visit pge.com/scams or consumer.ftc.org.
Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) is a group of more than 150 electric, water, and natural gas utilities from the U.S. and Canada working together to combat impostor utility scams by sharing data and best practices.
PG&E serves over 16 million people across Northern and Central California as a combined natural gas and electric utility. More information about the company can be found at www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
For additional details on this announcement see https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pge-encourages-customers-to-slow-down-verify-stop-the-scam-on-utility-scam-awareness-day-302618935.html
