During 2025, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers have reported losses of nearly $300,000 to scams, according to the company. As the holiday season approaches, PG&E is participating in Utility Scam Awareness Day on November 19, joining Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) to encourage customers to “slow down, verify and stop the scam.”
Scammers often contact customers by phone, online, or in person and demand immediate payment to avoid service disconnection. In 2025 alone, there have been over 21,000 reports of scams targeting PG&E customers. The average loss per incident is approximately $670.
Matt Foley, lead scam investigator for PG&E, said: “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 from business customers regarding scam attempts during 2025. Scammers frequently focus their efforts during busy hours when business owners may be more vulnerable.
Monica Martinez, Executive Director of UUAS, stated: “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 utility scams can visit pge.com/scams or consumer.ftc.org for resources.
Utilities United Against Scams is an alliance of more than 150 utilities across the U.S. and Canada that work together to share data and best practices aimed at combating impostor utility scams.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company serves over 16 million people in Northern and Central California as a combined natural gas and electric utility. More information about PG&E can be found at www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
The original press release can be accessed at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pge-encourages-customers-to-slow-down-verify-stop-the-scam-on-utility-scam-awareness-day-302618935.html
