For Immediate Release
Contact
Richard Yost
richard.yost@bge.com
"Utilities United Against Scams Day" helps raise awareness and provides customers with essential information to fight back!
BALTIMORE (Nov. 14, 2018) – BGE is joining more than 100 energy companies across the United States and Canada in the effort to protect customers from scams targeting customers of electric, natural gas, water, and other utilities. BGE and its sister Exelon companies, Atlantic City Electric, ComEd, Delmarva Power, Pepco, and PECO are committed to educating customers and putting a stop to scamming.
Collaborating energy companies have joined together for a third year and designated Nov. 14 as "Utilities United Against Scams Day." This day is supported by a week-long campaign, including social media and online content, focused on exposing the tricks scammers use to steal money from customers, and how customers can protect themselves. The effort, which includes industry member organizations such as Edison Electric Institute and American Gas Association, encourages companies to share these messages to help guard against scam and imposter activity.
"BGE is proud to join utilities across the country to partner in this important effort to help protect our customers against scamming," said Rodney Oddoye, vice president and chief customer officer for BGE. "There may be occasions when BGE calls or visits homes or businesses to work on our equipment, but our customers can verify the work by calling us at 800.685.0123."
When being scammed, a customer typically receives an unsolicited phone call from an individual who falsely claims to be a company representative. The scammer warns that the customer's service will be shut off if they fail to make a payment – usually within a short timeframe through a prepaid debit card.
Scammers have even duplicated the upfront Interactive Voice Response system of some companies, so when customers call the number provided by the scammer, it sounds like a legitimate business. Some scammers also use caller ID "spoofing" to replicate a utility's phone number.
Red flags for scam activity
How to protect yourself
Don't Get Scammed: Customers can avoid being scammed by taking a few precautions:
Any customer who believes he or she has been a target of a scam is urged to contact their local police and call BGE immediately at 800-685-0123 to report the situation.
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BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility. The company's approximately 3,200 employees are committed to safe and reliable power delivery to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. J.D. Power's 2017 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study SM ranked BGE highest in customer satisfaction with business electric service in the east among large utilities. The company also has an estimated annual economic impact of $5 billion of output in its service area, supporting more than 9,500 local jobs and producing $923 million in labor income. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.