CLIFTON SPRINGS, N.Y. — Scammers pretending to be from NYSEG are calling people and threatening to shut off their power, and they’re using Tax Day to make their threats seem more urgent.
Michele Pane is the director of the daycare at Clifton Springs United Methodist Church. On Tuesday, she got a call from someone claiming to be with NYSEG saying the power would be shut off Wednesday, April 15.
The church’s financial secretary, Gail Conners, then called the 800 number the supposed NYSEG worker had given them.
“I said to her, we got a call saying that we owe money which makes no sense because we’re on auto pay. She said there’s been some glitch somewhere and we’re showing that you owe a thousand dollars,” Conners said.
The so-called NYSEG worker was kind and even helpful, telling Conners the payment had to be made by cash or debit card in person.
“I’m thinking I’ve never heard of a place where you can pay a NYSEG bill in person and I said that to her and she said well they have them at the Walmart super centers,” Conners said.
The scammer did her homework. According to NYSEG’s website, you can pay your bill at any nationwide Walmart.
“It was a quarter of 10 when she called and she said we were scheduled to be shut off at 11:30,” Conners said.
That means she’d have to get to Walmart immediately. That’s a common scammer tactic — forcing victims to act quickly without thinking.
But Conners was smart.
“We looked at our NYSEG bill and looked up the phone number which is a different 800 number,” she said.
Just like a sample bill shows, she saw the real 800 number, revealing she’d been talking to a scammer. Here’s how the scam works: When you pay your NYSEG bill at Walmart, it can be processed through Western Union.
The scammers likely tell the victim to enter the scammer’s recipient information, not NYSEG’s. When you wire money, it’s gone and almost impossible to trace.
NYSEG would never tell you to pay in cash or give you only minutes to pay.
Here’s what rules NYSEG must follow when shutting off utilities
State regulators mandate utilities wait at least 35 days from when notices are past due to pursue termination Must provide at least 15 days’ notice before termination. Service can only be terminated Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shutoffs for non-payment cannot happen if the temperature is 90 degrees or higher or 32 degrees or lower.Consumer Alert: NYSEG imposters threaten immediate power shut-off in scam targeting local church WHEC.com.
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