Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, is urging its customers to be alert to scams this season. Customers should be cautious of callers who demand immediate payment via a pre-paid card, and wary of phony utility workers showing up at their door to “check a problem.”

“We’ve seen a significant uptick in the number of scams being reported to us by customers,” said Greg Dunlap, vice president of Customer Operations for PSE&G. “The only way to protect against these scams is for customers to be cautious when contacted by someone seeking access to their home or demanding immediate payment. Even one customer being cheated is one too many.”

Phone scammers use scare tactics: threatening service termination if they do not receive immediate payment with a pre-paid credit card. PSE&G offers a number of payment options, and would never require a customer to use one specific type of payment.

Door-to-door scammers use trickery: showing up at someone’s house dressed like a utility worker and say they need to “check a problem.” Often, after they gain access they burglarize the home. Always ask for I.D.

When in doubt or if suspicious in any way, PSE&G urges customers to call the number listed on their bill: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) and report scamming activity to their local police department.

Fundraising Phone Scams

Several residents have been contacted over the phone by individuals claiming to be fundraising for the Pennsauken Police or Fire Department. This is actually a phone scam that makes the rounds every few months.

None of the local public safety organizations: police, fire or EMS, call residents as part of a fundraising campaign. If you’re suspicious about a phone call you’ve received, please hang up and contact Pennsauken Township Police at (856) 488-0080.