Greenburgh PD: Beware of Con Ed Scam

Don't fall for scammers claiming to be Con Edison employees demanding payments, Greenburgh Chief of Police Joseph J. DeCarlo warned locals in a statement today.

"A scammer will call a business (or residence) posing a Con Edison employee, stating that the subject’s Con Edison bill is overdue," he wrote. "In at least one incident, the scammer had a correct Con Edison account number for a business."

According to DeCarlo, these scammers have been telling residents their power will be shut off if payment isn't made "immediately."

"The scammer then advises the victim to go to a retail store (CVS and Walgreens have been suggested), to buy a pre-paid Visa Card from the store," he said. "The scammer then advises the victim to return a call or to meet to exchange the physical card or the card numbers."

A Tarrytown business owner recently shelled out $2,000 for pre-paid cards when targeted by the scammers, police said.

A similar scam reported widely last year involved callers telling residents they could save money by paying their entire annual bill up front.

"If you receive a call from someone you don’t know attempting to have you send money regardless of the type of hoax, just hang up," DeCarlo advised. "If you have been scammed report it the police department. Remember never give your credit card, checking account, or social security numbers to callers you don’t know—even if they ask you to 'confirm' this information. That’s a common trick."