There’s A New Utility Scam Out There That New Jersey Needs To Be Aware Of

You've got a lot to worry about to begin with, so the last thing you need on your plate is to worry about being scammed.

However, it does seem as though scams are on the rise, specifically those involving your utility company.

And according to a new report, there's a new scam going around that consumers such as yourself should be aware of.

What Utility Scam Is Effecting New Jersey Residents?

Firstly, anyone can fall for these types of scams.

In fact, it happened to my wife and I a few years back when we lived in State College.

We somehow got signed up for a 'third party' utility provider that supposedly would cut our energy costs by up to 50%.

They ended up almost tripling our electric bill over the course of four months and it was a nightmare to get off their plan.

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In New Jersey, NJ.com reports that Atlantic City Electric claims that in 2023 customers lost over 200 thousand dollars thanks to scammers.

Basically how the scam works is that someone will call you claiming to be your utility company.

They'll say unless you pay a large sum of money that your service will be disconnected.

They'll ask you to send money through a wire transfer or through gift cards, and before you've been scammed out of a good chunk of money.

How To Avoid Utility Scams

The Fair Trade Commission reports that Utility companies will seldom call, much like the IRS they do most of their communications through the mail.

But if you do receive one of these calls, hang up immediately and call your Utility provider by the number on your monthly bill or their website.

Also, whatever you do, don't send money, wire transfer money, or send gift cards to whoever is threatening to shut down your utility.

If you do find yourself the victim of a scam though, be sure to report it to the FTC as soon as you can.