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Phishing Scam -Con Edison Impostor

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Phishing Scam -Con Edison Impostor Reports & Reviews (1)

- Brooklyn, NY, USA • Apr 08, 2024
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My mother called Con Edison on Friday, to inquire about the March bill she never received. The rep told her that the April bill was sent out on April 2nd; she should receive it soon. . Today, she went to the supermarket and returned home to a message from Con Edison's billing department stating that she was scheduled to have her services cut off. She comes to me with the number (800) 708-5601, and said to ask for James Allen. I call the number, ask for James Allen, who informs me that the problem was that she was given a new account number, but her paynents were made to the old account number. He was able to file a claim regarding the old account number to transfer the payment to the new account, but it will take 96 hours to process. I ask him, "So it will take 4 days to go through? If it took 4 days, why don't you just put a stop on the service disruption and wait the 4 days for it to go through?" He says he couldn't because the technician was already dispatched. He then says what she needed to do was either go in person to 4 Irving Place and pay with cash or send a payment through Zelle. I hung up and told my mother that it didn't sound right, but she still insisted that we pay the bill (they were asking for $311, which also included the disconnection fee). She doesn't have online banking ( I should add that she's 80 and still pays her bills by writing checks). So I said that only leaves one thing to do: go to 4 Irving Place. I call back the 800 number and informed them of what we were going to do. Mr. Allen says that we should make the payment soon, because the order was to disconnect at 2:30pm. I say "That's fine - we'll take our chances" and we leave. Hop on the train, take the 45-minute ride from Brooklyn, arrive to 4 Irving Place (which is Con Edison Headquarters). Speak to the security guard at the desk, she said that it was odd - she's never heard of Con Edison requesting payments through Zelle. Nevertheless, she continues to tell me they do not accept payments at the location, and shows me a list of the 6 payment centers (1 for each borough and Westchester County). So what do I do next? I call back the 800 number. A man named Richard Garcia answered (he also said "Con Edison Billing Department" when he answered) and I requested to be transferred to Mr. Allen. He gets on the phone, and I say to him that he needed to get his information right, because 4 Irving Place doesn't take payments. He continues to tell me that I need to make a cash payment at 4 Irving Place. I say to him "That's what I'm telling you-we're at 4 Irving Place right now - " Click! He hangs up. I turn back to the security guard points me to a telephone where I can contact Customer Service, where I speak to an actual rep who said that Con Edison will never call you to disconnect service - you will always get a notice via mail. And they DO NOT accept payments by Zelle. He also said when in doubt, always call the number on the bill. On the train ride home, my mother talks some more about the conversation she had with Mr. Allen, and tells me that he wanted her to go to CVS, buy a green card and put the payment on it and then call them with the number. I put two and two together and realized that they wanted her to buy a Green Dot Card and make the payment that way. If I had heard that in the beginning, I would definitely know it was a scam and that would have ended it. But I was given the time and patience to go through the experience with her, travel to 4 Irving Place, find out what's going on and live to tell my story to the masses (Have OMNY card, will travel, right?). Continue to be vigilant, everyone!

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