Skip to main content
Edison International Edison International
Energized
  • Home
  • Stories
    • All Stories
    • People
    • Safety
    • Giving Back
    • Technology
    • Environment
    • The Grid
    • Good to Know
    • Spotlight
  • Videos
    • All Videos
    • People
    • Safety
    • Giving Back
    • Technology
    • Environment
    • The Grid
    • Good to Know
  • Connect
      social media
      • View/Upload Photos
      • About Us
  • Resources
    • Edison.com
    • SCE.com
    • Newsroom
    • Clean Energy
    • Wildfire Safety
    • Leading the Charge
  • Subscribe
    • All Stories
    • People
    • Safety
    • Giving Back
    • Technology
    • Environment
    • The Grid
    • Good to Know
    • Spotlight
    • All Videos
    • People
    • Safety
    • Giving Back
    • Technology
    • Environment
    • The Grid
    • Good to Know
      social media
      • View/Upload Photos
      • About Us
    • Edison.com
    • SCE.com
    • Newsroom
    • Clean Energy
    • Wildfire Safety
    • Leading the Charge

Don’t Be Caught Off Guard by Scammers

For Utility Scam Awareness Day, here are some tips from Southern California Edison to avoid taking the bait.
Skip to content
Stories : Safety
Download Photos Download All
Stay Alert for Increased Utility Bill Phone Scams

Stay Alert for Increased Utility Bill Phone Scams

Business customers in Southern California Edison’s service area could face an increase in phone scams beginning this month as SCE ends its moratorium on disconnections for nonpayment, in effect since the early days of the COVID–19 pandemic. ...
View Story
How SCE’s Demand Response Programs Can Reduce Your Energy Bill

How SCE’s Demand Response Programs Can Reduce Your Energy Bill

Like any other service or commodity, electricity is governed by the laws of supply and demand. When energy supplies are plentiful, the cost of electricity drops. When many customers wrap up their work day and begin energy-reliant chores ...
View Story
Benefits of a Smart Thermostat

Benefits of a Smart Thermostat

From phones and watches to TVs and appliances, nearly everything has a “smart” version that allows it to connect to the internet and other devices. Smart technology provides a host of benefits while saving you time and money. ...
View Story
Share LinkedIn
Share Facebook
Tweet Twitter
Email
Print
Subscribe
G20-216 Scam Alert Flyer

Stay Alert for Increased Utility Bill Phone Scams

Stay Alert for Increased Utility Bill Phone Scams

Business customers in Southern California Edison’s service area could face an increase in phone scams beginning this month as SCE ends its moratorium on disconnections for nonpayment, in effect since the early days of the COVID–19 pandemic. ...
View Story
How SCE’s Demand Response Programs Can Reduce Your Energy Bill

How SCE’s Demand Response Programs Can Reduce Your Energy Bill

Like any other service or commodity, electricity is governed by the laws of supply and demand. When energy supplies are plentiful, the cost of electricity drops. When many customers wrap up their work day and begin energy-reliant chores ...
View Story
Benefits of a Smart Thermostat

Benefits of a Smart Thermostat

From phones and watches to TVs and appliances, nearly everything has a “smart” version that allows it to connect to the internet and other devices. Smart technology provides a host of benefits while saving you time and money. ...
View Story
View Comments
Leave a Comment
  • We welcome your feedback and comments. We ask that you please keep them constructive, civil and respectful. If you wouldn’t say it in front of your mother, then there is a good chance it falls outside of our guidelines. Please read our comment policy here.
Stories : Safety
Download Photos Download All

Don’t Be Caught Off Guard by Scammers

For Utility Scam Awareness Day, here are some tips from Southern California Edison to avoid taking the bait.
Lynnette Round
Lynnette Round
ENERGIZED by Edison Writer
Published on November 14, 2022
Share LinkedIn
Share Facebook
Tweet Twitter
Email
Print
Subscribe

Have you ever been fishing and cast your line out with mouthwatering bait, waiting to see if you get a bite? That is exactly what scammers do through email, texts or phone calls to get you hooked, so you send them money.

“Anyone phoning you, claiming to be from Southern California Edison and threatening to shut off your power for nonpayment is scamming you,” said Randy White, SCE’s manager of Physical Security Operations. “SCE will never phone you to threaten disconnection and demand immediate payment.”

Scammers are clever and constantly adapting to find new ways to trick you and get your money. They might send you an email saying you have a past-due balance, and your service will be immediately disconnected unless you click the link or send you a text message saying the same thing using a special code. Don’t fall for it — that is a phishing scam.

Phone scammers attempt to create confusion and a sense of urgency so victims won't try to verify their claims.
Phone scammers attempt to create confusion and a sense of urgency so victims won't try to verify their claims.

“The best way for customers to protect themselves against energy company phone scams is to educate themselves, their families and their friends about being aware when they receive telephone calls from individuals claiming to be with SCE demanding money for payment,” White said.

International Fraud Awareness Week is Nov. 13-19, with Utility Scam Awareness Day on Nov. 16. SCE wants you to be aware of the many ways thieves can prey on customers, especially heading into the holiday season, a notoriously busy time for scams.

  • Phone Scams: Scammers rely on aggressive tactics and the confusion created by surprise. They will often apply pressure if you start to ask questions and speak with a sense of urgency, so customers do not have time to think about or verify their claims. Beware if a caller exhibits impatience, annoyance or anger when you question their authority. While a scammer will discourage you from hanging up and calling the number on your bill, an actual SCE representative will encourage you to do so for your own peace of mind. Call SCE directly to verify the status of your account.
  • Email Scams: Some scammers send spam emails disguised as legitimate SCE emails with spoofed addresses, logos, trademarks, website links and wording to add to the deception. If you click on attachments or hyperlinks in emails from unknown senders, including scammers posing as SCE, you may inadvertently download malware to your computer. Scam emails may come from a suspicious email address. When you move your mouse over the email address, any links, URLs or web addresses should be from the same address or URL. If not, then the message is probably fraudulent or malicious.
  • Text Scams: Smishing, short for SMS phishing, is a relatively new scam that attempts to trick you into giving scammers information via a text or SMS message. Scammers like smishing because customers tend to be more inclined to trust text messages. Do not reply to text messages from people you do not know, and do not click on links you receive unless you know from whom they were sent. SCE will not text you unless you have signed up for a specific notification service.

To avoid being scammed, SCE customers should remember the following:

  • SCE will never phone you to threaten disconnection and demand immediate payment.
  • SCE will never phone you to ask for your credit card or SCE account information.
  • SCE does not accept prepaid cash cards, bitcoins or payments through third-party mobile apps such as Zelle.
  • SCE does not have a “disconnection department.”
  • SCE employees in the field neither request nor accept payments.


For more tips on how to protect yourself from scams, visit sce.com/scamalert.

Tags: utility scams, Utility Scam Awareness Day, customer safety
G20-216 Scam Alert Flyer

Connect with us

Edison International

Visit SCE

  • Pay My Bill
  • Report an Outage
  • Turn On/Off Service

Family of Websites

  • SCE.com
  • EdisonEnergy.com
  • energized.edison.com
  • CAREERS
  • PRIVACY NOTICE
  • WEBSITE TERMS OF USE
  • CA Consumer Privacy Act Policy
  • © 2023 Edison International
Edison Energy and its subsidiaries are not the same company as Southern California Edison, the utility, and they are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Download and Use Policy

This Site is owned by Edison International. Unless otherwise indicated, all of the content featured or displayed on this Site, including but not limited to, text, graphics, data, photographic images, moving images, sound, illustrations, computer code, trade marks and logos and the selection and arrangement thereof (referred to in this section as the "Content") is owned by Edison International, its licensors or its third-party image partners and all rights in relation to the Content are reserved. All Content is protected by copyright, trade dress, moral rights, trade mark rights and other laws relating to the protection of intellectual property. You may use the Content for your personal, or news-related, non-commercial use, but you may not otherwise reproduce, modify or in any way commercially exploit the Content.

Accept   Decline