PECO Scam Targets Newtown Residents, Police Say

NEWTOWN, PA — Someone claiming to be a representative from PECO Energy Company is calling Newtown residents and telling them their electricity bill is past due.

The scammer is telling victims that their electricity will be shut off if they fail to pay outstanding balances or bills. The victims were then directed to travel to local retail stores and obtain pre-paid gift cards, then call a second telephone number and provide the gift card information to satisfy the alleged outstanding balances. In some cases, the victims were also asked to provide their personal information.

"We want to remind the public that legitimate utility companies and creditors WILL NOT solicit you to pay bills or outstanding balances with prepaid gift cards and that you should be aware of these potential scams, which typically target elderly victims," police said.

These scams typically target elderly victims, police said.

"Sophisticated scammers may employ technology to be even more convincing by using a tactic called 'spoofing' to manipulate the Caller ID phone number displayed on your phone so that it appears to be a PECO phone number," PECO's website reads.

Anyone who receives such a call should decline to give out information and call PECO directly at 1-800-494-4000 to verify the legitimacy of the calls, police said.

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