IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Southern California Edison has announced the top 10 cities in its service area for utility bill telephone scams reported by its customers, and the Inland Empire is well-represented.
Five of the cities listed – Fontana, Hemet, Moreno Valley, Ontario, and San Bernardino – are in Riverside or San Bernardino counties, according to a statement.
Huntington Beach, Irvine, Long Beach, Santa Ana, and Whittier completed the top 10.
“Our customers are doing a great job of reporting attempted scams to us, so our company can take steps to help shut down the phone lines these fraudsters use,” says Jill Anderson, SC Edison’s senior vice president of customer service, in the statement.
This year, SC Edison customers have reported being victimized for nearly $300,000 in utility bill phone scams. COVID-19 has created opportunities for con artists posing as utility representatives to target unsuspecting customers who are spending most of their time at home, according to the statement.
