Beware: Scammers threatening to turn off power if victim doesn't pay

Even though you may pay your bill every month to keep the lights on, scammers are telling some utility customers that they missed a payment.

The scammers say that if the customer doesn’t send money, their power will be cut off.

One viewer reached out to NBC10 Responds after he says a scammer was able to convince him to hand over money and has a warning so others know what to look for.

Paul Friedman explained that he got a call from a PECO 1-800 number and the person on the other end told him he had an outstanding bill.

“They told us that PECO was going to get shut off at two o’clock that day if we didn’t make a payment that day immediately. Was a panic situation, right?” Friedman said.

Friedman asked the caller to verify his account number which the caller was able to do.

So, worried that his power was about to cut off, he asked his wife to make the payment.

That’s when the scammers gave his wife a different phone number for payment instructions and she says they told her to deposit cash at a nearby CVS pharmacy using a bar code.

When Friedman learned how his wife paid, he says that he knew something was off then.

“In my mind, I deal with PECO a lot. I’m like, ‘I think you got scammed.’ She goes, ‘No, there’s no way. It was
the number,'” he said.

Friedman called the number back and starting asking questions about where the caller was located and where the payment went but the caller hung up on him.

He said that he later learned from PECO that the phone number was spoofed to look like the official one.

“Account details can be obtained through phishing, data brokers, third-party breaches and sometimes they’ll trick a customer into sharing that information. So it’s hard to say, you know, exactly why this customer’s
information was or how this customer’s information was obtained,” PECO’s Candice Wormer said.

So far in 2026, PECO says that it has received 126 reports of utility related scams.

“Utility scams can be very persistent. They’ll demand immediate payment, they’ll threaten shutoffs or they’ll request a payment through a gift card or third-party apps, which we like to inform our customers that is
something that PECO would never do,” Wormer said.

PECO is also warning of another scam going around: Scammers are calling customers to discuss energy usage to offer assistance.

PECO says it will NOT call you about this.

If you get a call demanding payments, hang up.

Even if you are nervous about your power getting cut off, PECO said it will not act right away. Customers will get multiple warnings through email and the mail.

If you can’t afford to make a payment, you can set up a repayment plan.

Also, if you ever have a question about your account, log on to your online portal or call PECO’s direct number.