PEARL RIVER, NY – Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) alerts customers to a new wave of fraudulent phone calls.
On March 25 at noon, O&R announced that scammers have begun targeting their customers with phone calls, claiming unpaid utility bills. These impostors, posing as O&R employees, threaten to disconnect electric service within 15 minutes unless immediate payment is made via prepaid debit card. Despite customers’ attempts to verify their account statuses online, the scammers persist with their demands.
O&R emphasizes two critical points to debunk these fraudulent claims: firstly, O&R does not accept prepaid debit cards for bill payments, and secondly, the process to disconnect service for non-payment is lengthy, involving multiple written notices and is regulated by state utility commissions, not conducted over mere hours. Customers are urged to be vigilant and question the legitimacy of such immediate shutoff threats.