Do Not Deal With Individuals Asking About Your Dealership’s Energy Bills!
NJ CAR recently heard from two Ocean County dealerships regarding a very aggressive electric scam. Both dealerships report that an individual called, claiming to be from their utility company (in both of these cases JCPL). The individual told the dealership employee that the building’s electric would be shut off in the next hour or two due to non-payment. Both dealers were current on their electric bills, but the caller said they were unable to verify that the payment had been received. Most concerning is that the individual calling was aware of the amount the dealership had last paid.The caller insisted that the dealership’s electric service was in jeopardy and, until the problem could be resolved, the dealer needed to deliver $1,500 in cash to a specified location. Once the request for a cash payment was made, the dealerships realized the call was a scam.
Earlier this summer, NJ CAR also received several complaints from dealer members regarding phone calls or individuals stopping by their dealerships claiming to represent the public utility or the dealership’s current third party electric supplier. The individuals were very persistent and told dealership employees they needed to “reclassify” their usage and could save the dealership money. They requested to see the dealership’s electric bills and, subsequently, switched the dealership to another energy provider. Once a dealership’s account has been “slammed,” it is almost IMPOSSIBLE for the dealer to get out of the agreement with the new provider.
If someone contacts your dealership, for any reason, and claims to be from your utility company, GET A PHONE NUMBER, HANG UP AND CALL THE UTILITY YOURSELF. DO NOT DIVULGE ANY AMOUNTS PAID/OWED OR PROVIDE ANY ACCOUNT INFORMATION.
If you have any questions, please contact NJ CAR’s Energy Manager, Gail Caputi, at 609.403.7579.