Crime & Safety

Another Scam Victim: Port Chester Woman Loses $220 in Con Ed Bill Fraud

Police: If you are asked to use a pre-paid card to settle a bill, you are likely being targeted for fraud.

Another Port Chester resident has been scammed out of more than $200 in a .

Port Chester police warned that if you get a call demanding payment for a Con Ed bill through a pre-paid credit card you have been targeted by scammers.

In the latest incident, a 20-year-old Port Chester woman discovered when her utility bill arrived that she had been the victim of a fraud. Police said a caller warned her that if she did not make an immediate payment that he Con Ed service would be termined.

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As in another recent incident in Port Chester, the woman was told to purchase a pre-paid debit card and then call back to have a payment credited to her account. She followed the instructions, but found out when her bill arrived in the mail that the $220 she had paid was not applied to her utility account.

Tips from Con Ed on scams:

Find out what's happening in Port Chesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Con Edison urges customers to never provide a Social Security number, credit card number or banking information to anyone requesting it unless you initiated the contact and know the identity of the person you are speaking with.

If you receive a call from someone you do not trust and who is urging you to make a payment to Con Edison, hang up and check the legitimacy of the call by dialing 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).

Con Edison's website, www.conEd.com offers a variety of approved and convenient options for bill payment.

In addition, Con Edison warns customers not to fall for a scam in which a caller says the customer must make a payment by purchasing a Green Dot Money Pak to avoid having utility service turned off.


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