Bruce M. of San Bernardino was suspicious about the voicemail message. It said payment was late on his Southern California Edison bill and his service would be disconnected if he did not call back immediately. A 37-year veteran of the LA County Sheriff’s Department, he checked his most recent bill and saw the callback number did not match SCE’s customer service line. He checked his account online and saw that his latest payment was received.

He called back and was put on hold. “The recorded on hold message was exactly the same as SCE’s,” said Bruce, who did not want to give his full name. He was transferred to different “representatives” who threatened to shut off his power. Finally, “I told them I know SCE doesn’t take payments over the phone. They hung up.”

Bruce lives in one of the 10 cities in SCE’s service area that most frequently report utility bill phone scams. During Utility Scam Awareness Week, Nov. 16-20, SCE is sharing this “top 10’’ to warn customers of the growing threat of such scams. SCE customers report being victimized by utility bill phone scams for nearly $300,000 so far this year.

The upcoming holiday season is typically when the volume of bill scam attempts goes up. At the same time, COVID-19 safety guidelines are keeping more Southern Californians at home during daytime hours, creating more opportunities for phone scammers.

“Our customers are doing a great job of reporting attempted scams to us, so our company can take steps to help shut down the phone lines these fraudsters use,” says Jill Anderson, senior vice president of Customer Service at SCE.

She added, “When the COVID-19 crisis erupted, SCE quickly suspended service disconnections for nonpayment and waived late fees by request for residential and small business customers, which will continue until at least April 2021. We also want our customers to know that any threat of immediate service disconnection without payment by someone claiming to be from SCE should be recognized as a scam attempt.”

The top-10 cities so far this year are: Fontana, Hemet, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Long Beach, Moreno Valley, Ontario, San Bernardino, Santa Ana and Whittier.

Utility bill scams tend to target the elderly, English learners — or both — and smaller businesses such as hair salons and auto mechanics, many of which have been struggling since the start of the pandemic.

Valerie C. of Torrance does not fit the profile of a typical target, but she was still victimized recently for nearly $1,300. “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,” she said, noting that she did not want to give her full name.

“They said they were from SCE, and they were very sorry but because I missed payments, I’d be disconnected within the hour. They sounded totally legit. They kept me on the phone for an hour, transferring me to different people, and walked me though how to pay using [a mobile payment app],” she said.

Customers who believe they are being or have been targeted by a utility bill scam should confirm their account balance or payment status by calling SCE’s customer service center at 1-800-655-4555. If possible, save the callback phone numbers or payment instructions. Report the attempt by calling SCE’s customer service center, emailing SCE at csinfogov@sce.com or by completing SCE’s online fraud form.