How to Detect Door-to-Door Electricity Sales Scams

One of the biggest things that we face are scams. online, emails, and now add door-to-door to the list. Recently, two young men walked onto my driveway and were headed toward my front door.

I wasn't sure if they were going to peek inside the vehicles as they walked by or if they were going to come to the door. I never had the chance to find out because my dog, CJ, started barking and they changed their minds.

It seems like every time that I'm on Facebook, someone is warning us about these kind of problems. Here is one of the newest things to be aware of. Companies trying to trick you into signing up for electricity with them. THIS IS A SCAM.

Apparently this has been a problem for the residents in the the Town of Owego and they want to give you the heads up.

Owego and their partners are NOT going door-to-door selling electricity and they aren't calling people at home. You are being warned that these companies are unscrupulous and are misrepresenting the area.

Owego has partnered with Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance (MEGA) on Community Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) and is offering electric supply from Constellation.

If you get a phone call or a door-to-door salesman stops by, it's not part of the CCA program. If this happens, ask to see their Town of Owego permit. If they don't have one, then it's a scam.

If you feel like you've been scammed or have questions, you can call (518) 533-5399. You can find out more about it here.

Here's a few additional tips that will prevent you from being a victim from any energy scam, via Chose Energy:

• Know where the salesperson comes from: Ask the person for proof of employment from the company they claim to be from, regardless of if they are wearing an official-looking company uniform or not.
• Protect your personal information: Don't show any door-to-door salesman your Social Security number or one of your current energy bills that includes your account number
• Be aware of local scams: Keep an eye out for local scam reports to keep in mind for if someone comes to your property claiming to be a salesperson.
• Report scams: Don't be embarrassed if you think you were a victim of a scam. Reporting yours may prevent someone else from becoming a victim.

IMPORTANT: Never give your electricity account number to a door-to-door or telephone solicitor.

[via Town of Owego/Choose Energy]