Scammers are taking advantage, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and cold-calling people to collect your money and personal information. These phone calls may seem to be from trusted sources but are really attempts to get your personal information.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is asking that community members take note of a new scam going around. People are being called with spoofed telephone numbers, often with the same prefix as the intended victim’s own phone, and greeted by a recording saying, “This is an apology from your electric company.” The call then offers a rebate due to overcharging, and if the intended victim stays on, a live caller joins and attempts to solicit bank information.

There is no such active rebate program currently being offered by any major utility in California. If such a rebate should ever be offered, it would likely be in the form of a bill credit and would not require any personal information or bank account information. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigates such scams, and the CPUC advises that Californians immediately hang up on any such calls received. 

Be on the lookout for emails and other messages that might be scams targeted to get your personal information. Visit San Mateo County’s COVID-19 Scams page for helpful COVID-19 consumer information and resources about false advertising alerts and scams.