Delmarva Power urges customers to be aware of scams during holiday season

With the holiday season quickly approaching, Delmarva Power is reminding customers to always be on alert for potential payment scams targeting customers.

Scams occur throughout the year, but the company generally sees an increase in scam reports during the holiday season.

With holiday shopping and family gatherings planned, scammers are using the holiday season to trick customers into providing their personal or financial information and making false payments under the pretense of keeping their service active.

Delmarva Power is joining more than 100 utility companies across the United States and Canada in an effort to protect customers from scams targeting customers of electric, natural gas, water, and other utilities.

Collaborating companies have joined together for a fourth year and designated Nov. 20 as “Utilities United Against Scams Day.” Utility Scam Awareness Day is part of the week-long National Scam Awareness Week, an advocacy and awareness campaign focused on educating customers and exposing the tactics used by scammers.

Delmarva Power and its sister Exelon companies, Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, PECO and Pepco are committed to educating customers and putting a stop to scamming.

“The safety and well-being of our customers and the communities we serve is our top priority,” said Morlon Bell-Izzard, vice president of Customer Operations for Pepco Holdings, which includes Delmarva Power. “Coordinated initiatives, such as this, are important in our efforts and our partners’ efforts to educate and protect our customers. By understanding the many tips and tactics associated with these scam attempts, customers will have the power to protect themselves and those in their community.”

When scams occur, a customer typically receives an unsolicited phone call from an individual, who falsely claims to be a company representative. The scammer warns that the customer’s service will be terminated if they fail to make a payment – usually within a short timeframe through a prepaid debit card or other direct payment method.

Scammers have even duplicated the telephone systems of some companies, so when customers call the number provided by the scammer, it sounds like a legitimate business. Some scammers also use caller ID “spoofing” to replicate a company’s phone number.

Any customer who believes he or she has been a target of a scam is urged to contact their local police and call Delmarva Power immediately at 800-375-7117 to report the situation.