We’re joining more than 100 U.S. and Canadian energy companies for Utilities United Against Scams and International Fraud Awareness Week, Nov. 12-18, to remind customers to be vigilant and on the lookout for imposters using energy-related scams to steal money and personal information.

Scams occur throughout the year, but we generally see an increase in attempted scam reports during the holiday season. Common schemes involve scammers’ use of technology to replicate a company’s phone number through caller ID—also known as “spoofing”—threatening to turn off a customer’s service unless they make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card. Some scams involve imposters posing as Pepco employees to gain entry into a customer’s home to steal belongings, with other activities involving scammers sending emails to businesses, requesting that they send Pepco payments to fake pay sites.

Here are some tips to help identify scams:

Pepco will never come to a customer’s home or business to:

• Ask for immediate payment with a prepaid cash card or cryptocurrency.
• Ask for their Pepco account number or other personal information, such as a driver’s license number.
• If a person comes to your home or business regarding disconnection of service, please contact the company to discuss the status of your account.

Pepco will never call a customer to:

• Ask for their account number.
• Ask for personal information, such as their Social Security number or bank information.
• Ask them to make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card.

To identify an actual Pepco employee, remember:

• All Pepco field employees wear a uniform with the Pepco logo, including shirt and safety vest.
• Pepco employees visibly display a company ID badge with the Pepco logo and employee’s name.

Commercial customers should also take steps to protect themselves from potential scam attempts. These offenders impersonate Pepco and other trusted organizations through email or other forms of communications to deceive businesses into providing financial information or making an urgent payment.

To help protect their business from scams, employees at local businesses should:

• Carefully review emails originating from outside your organization’s network.
• Check the name of the sender and business and make sure it matches the name and business in the email address. Look for typos or slight image alterations within the email.

If you ever question the legitimacy of a call or visit to your home regarding disconnection of service, contact us at 202-833-7500. Any customer who believes they have been a target of a scam is urged to contact their local police and call Pepco immediately to report the situation. To learn more about preventing scams, visit pepco.com.