newjerseynewsroom.com

BY CAROL ABAYA

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

FirstEnergy Corp (Jersey Central Power & Light) is warning customers that scammers are claiming that President Obama, under some new federal program will help pay their electric bills.

FirstEnergy officials say that there is no such program!

The scam involves customers being asked to provide sensitive information, such as their Social Security numbers, which feeds into identity theft. The scammers give a customer a phony bank routing number supposedly to pay their bills. However, no government dollars are applied to customer accounts and the full balance remains due. In some cases, electric companies have cut off service because unpaid bills pile up.

Scam victims are being approached by individuals going door-to-door, receiving telephone calls, seeing flyers posted in various stores, receiving text messages and through the social media.

FirstEnergy wants customers to be vigilant at all times and to notify local police if they believe they are a victim of this fraudulent scheme or have been approached by a scammer.

FirstEnergy officials released the following tips to avoid being scammed:

• FirstEnergy utility employees NEVER ask for sensitive personal information. Such questions should immediately trigger the scam alarm.

• Customers should only use methods authorized by FirstEnergy to pay their electric bills.

• FirstEnergy utility employees visit a home ONLY in response to a service request. If a service call has not been previously scheduled, do not allow the person to enter your house.

• When an employee does come in response to a service call, check identification and make sure the truck being driven is clearly marked with the JCP&L name.

There are legitimate programs, such as LIHEAP and Lifeline to help low income and disabled people pay electric bills. County Offices on Aging are connecting points to such programs.