O&R Offers Scam Prevention Tips For International Fraud Awareness Week

PEARL RIVER, NY — Orange and Rockland Utilities urges its customers to learn the signs that a crook is trying to rip them off by posing as a company employee and demanding money.

O&R is among 150 U.S. and Canadian energy and water companies that are using International Fraud Awareness Week Nov. 12-18 as an opportunity to educate consumers because the best defense for customers is to be aware of the methods scammers use.

Scammers are inventive, resourceful and persistent. They contact customers by email, text, phone and by showing up at homes and businesses. Scammers who call customers by phone can even make an O&R phone number appear on a customer’s caller ID display.

David Braunfotel, O&R Director of Customer Assistance, warns these are signs that the person contacting a Orange and Rockland Utilities’ customer is a scammer:

• A scammer will say a customer must make an immediate payment to avoid a service turnoff. Orange and Rockland Utilities does not make these calls.
• Scammers call customers and instruct them to buy a pre-paid card. Once the customer puts money on the card and provides the scammer with the card number, the scammer steals the money. O&R does not accept payment by pre-paid debit cards, MoneyGram or similar transfers.
• Scammers demand payment via apps like Cash App, Venmo and Zelle. O&R does not support these platforms for payment. The company also does not accept payment via PayPal or bitcoin.
• People trying to pull a scam often try to sell a customer on urgency. They’ll say that company personnel are on their way to shut off service. Scammers who believe they are getting what they want from a customer sometimes act extremely polite and helpful as they tell the customer what to do.
• Many scammers try to get customers to give up their O&R account number, Social Security number or other personal information. The customer should hang up and call 1-877-434-4100 or the local police department.
• A person who shows up at a home or business not wearing an Orange and Rockland Utilities’ ID is not a company employee. An Orange and Rockland Utilities’ employee will politely show the ID to the customer when asked. If you are still not sure the person works for the company, call O&R at 1-833-460-7059 to get confirmation.

Some utilities have reported an increase in utility impostor scams through digital methods, including search engine-related scams. Digital scam tactics include:

• Sponsored ads on search engines that lead to an identical — but fake — utility bill payment page.
• QR codes that scammers falsely claim link to a utility payment page
• Texts from a scammer claiming to be a utility representative, with a link to an impostor payment page.

The companies are members of Utilities United Against Scams, which declared Nov. 15 to be Utility Scam Awareness Day.

“As scammers become more imaginative, we want our customers to know they can empower themselves,” said Janette Espino, Orange and Rockland Utilities’ vice president, Customer Service. “A customer who receives a demand for immediate payment or feels pressured to give up personal information can stop the scammer by remaining composed and refusing to play along. But it all starts with recognizing the scammers’ deceptive tactics.”