Stay alert and stop scammers in their tracks

With a recent increase in the number of reported phone scam attempts, PSEG Long Island again urges residents and business owners to make themselves aware of the tactics scammers use to try to steal their money.

Phone scammers have become more crafty and creative in recent months. In many cases, the scammers can change their caller ID so that it appears their calls are coming from “PSEG Long Island.” More than 6,600 calls were reported to PSEG Long Island in 2019, up from 4,088 scam calls reported in 2018. There is usually an increase in scam calls around holiday weekends when scammers know that customers will be distracted from everyday things.

“Phone scammers want their targets to panic so they don’t think clearly,” said Rick Walden, vice president of customer operations for PSEG Long Island, who also said in a news release that the utility never demands immediate payment and does not accept prepaid debit card or bitcoin payments. “If you receive a call about a past-due bill, don’t panic. Look for signs that it may not be legitimate, such as a request for a specific payment type or an imminent threat of disconnection.”

Meet Bruce Sackman. Bruce is a retired federal agent, licensed private investigator, and co-author of two investigative books. Bruce was also nearly the victim of a scam. If it could almost happen to him, it can happen to anyone. Here’s his story.