PHILADELPHIA, PA (November 17, 2020) — With the holiday season quickly approaching, PECO is reminding customers to always be on alert for potential payment scams targeting utility customers. Scams occur throughout the year, but the company has seen an increase in scam reports during the holiday season. Scammers use the holiday season to trick utility customers into providing their personal or financial information and making false payments under the pretense of keeping their service active.

PECO is joining more than 100 utility companies across the United States and Canada in the effort to protect customers from scams targeting customers of electric, natural gas, water, and other utilities. Collaborating companies have joined together for the fifth annual Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) Scam Awareness Week. This week-long advocacy campaign is focused on educating customers and exposing the tactics used by scammers. PECO and its Exelon sister companies, Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, and Pepco are committed to educating customers and putting a stop to scamming.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped utility scammers. In 2020, through October, there have been more than 3,000 scam reports to PECO and the company saw a 20 percent increase in scam reports in October 2020 when compared to October 2019. With the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, imposters are taking advantage of the situation to also pressure families and businesses who may be struggling with past-due balances.

"The personal and financial safety and security of our customers and their information is our top priority," said Funmi Williamson, PECO senior vice president and Chief Customer Officer. "We want to provide our customers with information that can help protect them from scamming attempts and we won't stop until every customer can feel safe about who is on the other end of the line, or on the other side of the door."

When scams occur, a customer typically receives an unsolicited phone call from an individual, who falsely claims to be a company representative. The scammer warns that the customer's service will be disconnected if they fail to make a payment – usually within a short timeframe through a prepaid debit card or other direct payment method.

Scammers have even duplicated the telephone systems of some companies, so when customers call the number provided by the scammer, it sounds like a legitimate business. Some scammers also use caller ID "spoofing" to replicate a utility's phone number.

Red flags for scam activity

How to protect yourself

Utility representatives will never ask or require a customer with a past due balance to purchase a prepaid debit card to avoid disconnection.

Customers can make payments online, by phone, automatic bank withdrawal, mail, or in-person.

Customers with a past due balance will receive multiple shut off notifications – never a single notification one hour before disconnection.

If a customer ever questions the legitimacy of the call, they should hang up and call PECO directly at 1-800-494-4000.

Don't Get Scammed: Customers can avoid being scammed by taking a few precautions:

Bill-payment assistance to help customers avoid scam attempts

Customers are encouraged to educate themselves on the current status of their account by checking their billing and payment status regularly. This proactive work helps customers be more aware of their account status should a scammer attempt to trick them. PECO understands that managing your energy bill can be challenging – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The utility has expanded its billing and financial assistance programs to help qualified residential customers, who are facing financial challenges managing their energy bill, pay what they can and make their bills more manageable. It's important that residential customers who are not current on their energy bill contact PECO at 1-800-494-4000 or go online to www.peco.com/billrelief to learn about payment options.

Any PECO customer who believes he or she has been a target of a scam is urged to contact their local police, and call PECO immediately at 1-800-494-4000 to report the situation.

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PECO, founded in 1881, is Pennsylvania's largest electric and natural gas utility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PECO delivers energy to more than 1.6 million electric customers and more than 532,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. The company's 2,700 employees are dedicated to the safe and reliable delivery of electricity and natural gas as well as enhanced energy management conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. In 2018, PECO was named to Forbes Magazine's list of Best Employers for Women. The company also has an estimated annual economic impact of $4.8 billion in Pennsylvania, supporting more than 9,000 local jobs and producing $775 million in labor income. PECO is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's only Fortune 100 utility and leading competitive energy provider. For more information visit PECO.com, and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter.