NJ lawmaker blasts utilities over phishing threat, demands BPU crackdown

⚡State Sen. Jon Bramnick says he was targeted in a potential utility scam call

⚡The Republican wants the BPU to act fast to protect consumers

⚡Bramnick blasts 'disrespectful' utility practices and long appointment windows

After two encounters with two different utility companies, New Jersey state Sen. Jon Bramick, R-Union, is calling for the state Board of Public Utilities to take immediate action on potential phishing scams and better respect for a customer's time.

In a video posted Monday, Bramnick said he was threatened with termination of service if he didn't return a call. The anonymous caller told the Republican he did not allow technicians access to his home. When Bramnick returned the call and identified himself, he was asked for his address. Bramnick said that the utility should already know the location and not be asking that of a customer.

"This is an insult in my judgment to consumers and also dangerous. And it's dangerous because there's going to be some bad actors out there who are going to figure, 'you know something, I'll act like the utility company. I'll call and say, I'm going to turn your services off and then I'm going to ask for information and do what we call a phishing expedition and try to get sensitive information.'"

Bramnick said that the return call is made to a subcontractor and not directly to the utility.

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'Door Dash is better than how I was respected'

The former gubernatorial candidate's other scam concern is that the appointment time is a wide window of several hours and not an exact time. When asked for a call from the inspector coming as he was leaving from his last job, Bramnick said he was told, "we don't do that."

Under current New Jersey law, a utility only has to offer a four-hour window.

"Door Dash is better than how I was respected by the utility companies," Bramnick said.

Bramnick said that as of Tuesday, he had not heard back from the BPU. There is no special protocol for a legislator to follow in order to raise an issue with the agency. He did not disclose the names of the utilities he spoke with.

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