As the holiday season begins and people find themselves busier and more distracted, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is urging customers to slow down, verify information, and stay alert for utility scams. Scammers often increase their efforts this time of year, taking advantage of customers who may not be paying close attention.
Scam activity has remained high throughout 2025. PG&E has received more than 21,000 scam reports this year, with nearly $300,000 in total losses and an average loss of about $670 per victim. Nearly 5,500 of these reports came from Bay Area customers, including 894 in Contra Costa County alone. Many of the scams involve someone pretending to be from the utility and demanding immediate payment to avoid having service shut off. These threats usually come by phone but can also happen online or in person.
Small and medium-sized businesses have been frequent targets as well. PG&E has received nearly 700 reports this year involving scammers pressuring business owners during busy hours, hoping they will panic and send money quickly.
PG&E reminds customers that it will never demand immediate payment, threaten same-day disconnection without prior notice, or ask for payment through prepaid debit cards, Zelle, Venmo, or similar services. Customers who receive a suspicious call should hang up and check their account directly at pge.com or by calling PG&E’s customer service line.
Customers can protect themselves by creating an online PG&E account, which allows them to review balances, track payments, and receive billing alerts. PG&E also warns that scammers can spoof official-looking phone numbers, making it appear as though the call is coming from a real PG&E line. If there is any doubt, customers should hang up and call PG&E’s scam line at 1-833-500-SCAM. Anyone who feels threatened or believes they are in physical danger should contact law enforcement or call 911.
Those who believe they have been targeted or victimized should report the incident to PG&E and their local police department. Additional information on avoiding scams is available at pge.com/scams and consumer.ftc.org.
Some alternative energy suppliers may use situational cues at the door to imply that they are from PGE and that they need to see your bill. The low, low, low introductory rate for gas they are talking about usually rises steeply after signup. They ignore “No Soliciting” signs and refuse to take no for an answer. They are unacceptably insistent, mouthy, rude, and really believe they can arm-twist unaware residents into going along with them. If you have elderly parents who are susceptible, you might think about having them call you if someone like this shows up rather than talking to them. They need to be warned.
I love treating those people exactly how they treat me.
PG@E is the biggest scam in CA.
PG&E will not tell you the name(s) of the “un-named third party(s)” with whom they share virtually ALL of your personal information! Name- address- SSN- account number- meter codes, etc….. They use “un-named” third parties to bill you, possibly not the same “un-named” third party who is paid to post your statement online, or-take your payment online, or post your usage data online–….hmmmm… Usage date: not only how much — but how much of which (gas or elec) AND at what times — so that (whichever) “un-named” third party pretty much knows when you’re home, when you’re sleeping, when you’re cooking, doing laundry AND whether with gas or elec.…. I could go on and on….. Call. Ask for the names of ALL of their “third party” partners that you pay PG&E so they can pay “them” to do whatever they do. Good luck,
***Do not worry. I’m certain PG&E personally ‘vets’ every employee of every “third party” company and finds every one of them to be 100% trustworthy to have access to everything short of your DNA.
Wait a minute. Did you leave a fingerprint on the glass of the meter when you checked it? Oh. OK.