Tips to spot scams highlight International Fraud Awareness Week

O&R, along with over 100 other energy companies, are sharing a list of signs you're being scammed in light of International Fraud Awareness Week.

News 12 Staff

Nov 15, 2022, 11:30 AM

Updated 760 days ago

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Orange and Rockland Utilities is partnering with companies across the world to warn customers about scammers.
O&R, along with over 100 other energy companies, are sharing a list of signs you're being scammed in light of International Fraud Awareness Week. They say any customer who is asked to make an immediate payment to avoid a service shutoff should regard that as a scam. Orange & Rockland does not contact customers and demand immediate payment.
Here are some common scams that target residential and business customers in the company's service area in New York and New Jersey:
• Scammers call customers and instruct them to buy a pre-paid card. These callers sometimes point the customer to a store that sells pre-paid cards. Once the customer puts money on the card and provides the scammer with the card number, the scammer steals the money. Orange & Rockland does not accept payment by pre-paid debit cards, MoneyGram or similar transfers.
• Scammers contact customers and demand payment with apps like Cash App, Venmo and Zelle. Orange & Rockland does not support these platforms for payment. The company also does not accept payment via Paypal or bitcoin.
• Some impostors who knock on a residential customer's door try to talk their way inside to steal or even commit an assault. Orange & Rockland urges customers to ask anyone who claims to be from the company to show their company ID. If you are still unsure whether the person is from Orange & Rockland, call 1-877-434-4100 to check.
Customers should never provide callers with personal information, such as social security numbers. Anyone who thinks they have been the target of a scam should call their local police department.
Scammers who call customers by phone can even make an Orange & Rockland phone number appear on a customer's caller ID display.
When a customer gives money to a scammer, the scammer will often claim that the payment did not go through and demand another payment. The company has gotten reports of customers providing multiple payments totaling thousands of dollars to a scammer.
If you think someone on the other end of the phone is trying to commit fraud, call your local police.