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This Week is Utility Scam Awareness Week

Don’t Be A Victim: Awareness Best Defense Against Scammers
Posted on: November 17, 2021 - 2:43pm
O&R

The theme of this year’s campaign is “End the Call, End the Scam.” Customers who receive a suspicious call should hang up and dial O&R’s Customer Service line at 1-877-434-4100 to determine whether the call was legitimate.

One of the common ways professional criminals attempt to steal customers’ money is to call a customer’s home or business and say the customer owes money and must pay immediately via pre-paid card or a payment app, otherwise the customer will face a shutoff of service that day. The caller sometimes points the customer to a store that sells pre-paid cards, and they can even make an O&R telephone number show up on the customer's caller ID. They may even say the payment didn’t go through and ask the customer to resend – resulting in multiple payments.

Other impostors show up at customers’ homes and businesses claiming to be from O&R. These crooks try to get money by saying the customer is delinquent on bills or try to get inside the home by saying they need to perform work. Once inside a home, these impostors look for money or property to steal or, in some cases, commit assaults. If someone comes to your home or business claiming to be from O&R, ask for their company identification. If you are still unsure, call O&R at 1-877-434-4100 or the police.

Here are three big reasons not to believe any caller or visitor who makes a shutoff threat:

  • NO PRE-PAID DEBIT CARDS, WIRES OR PAYMENT APPS – O&R does not accept bill payment for electric and gas utility bills by Green Dot or any other prepaid debit cards; nor MoneyGram or apps like Cash App, Venmo and Zelle.
  • NO IMMEDIATE SHUTOFF - Disconnecting O&R electric or gas service for non-payment of bills involves a multi-step process – including written communications from O&R to the customer over a period of several days, or even weeks – not hours. That process is regulated by the NYS Public Service Commission and NJ Board of Public Utilities.
  • NO SHUTOFFS FOR NON-PAYMENT – Because of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the NYS Public Service Commission and NJ Board of Public Utilities. have halted utility service shutoffs for non-payment until further notice. This measure is designed to aid those who have become unemployed or under employed because of COVID-19 to get back on their feet.

If you are unsure about whether you have an overdue balance on your O&R bill, the fastest way to find out is to log on to your account through ORU.com/MyAccount. You also can also O&R’s automated phone system at 1-877-434-4100. Have your O&R account number ready and follow the prompts to check your balance.