Scammers threaten to shut off electric, AC during hot summer months - WGAL Susquehanna Valley Pa.

Scammers threaten to shut off electric, AC in heat of summer

Scammers threaten to shut off electric, AC during hot summer months

News 8 is On Your Side with a scam that comes and goes when we see weather extremes.

Now that we're headed into the heat of summer, it's back again: the threat to shut off your electricity.

This scam targets homeowners and businesses.

A hair salon in Lancaster County sent an email to consumer investigator Brian Roche, writing, "We were contacted today by a scammer posing as a PPL representative telling us our power would be disconnected and that a technician was on the way to do so. They said we needed to pay them $999.12 or we would lose our service today."

This business obviously needs electricity to do business, but the steamy summer weather makes the thought of losing air conditioning even more unpleasant.

Keep in mind that if you get this kind of scam call, there are several red flags:

A utility will never demand payment with a cash card for a past-due bill.

If you have a past-due bill, the electric utility has to give you at least a 10-day notice that your power will be shut off.

Once you get the notice, the utility company has up to 60 days to shut off your service.

This kind of scam is a simple extortion attempt. But if you know your rights, you won't fall for it.