SCE&G joins utilities nationwide to educate customers about account security, phone phishing

SCE&G is reminding customers during National Consumer Protection Week (March 4-10) of steps they can take to protect their utility account, and avoid being victimized by callers posing as SCE&G employees.

“Federal data shows nearly one in five people who reported a scam in 2017 lost money,” said Sam Dozier, SCE&G vice president of customer service. “Ensuring the safety of our customers is a priority and we urge customers to take easy, additional safeguards to protect their accounts and hang up at the first sign of phone phishing.”

Protect your SCE&G account

• Keep authorized account contacts up-to-date. Whether it’s a roommate or spouse, authorized contacts have the ability to conduct some business transactions on the account holder’s behalf.
• Make sure you have an active, valid phone number associated with your account. SCE&G can use this to help identify your account when a call is received from that number.
• Customers can log into their sceg.com account to update their authorized phone number, and call customer service at 1-800-251-7234 to update their authorized contact.

Recognize Utility Phone Phishing

• Utility impostors are known to falsify their caller ID so it appears they’re calling from a local number, even SCE&G’s customer service number.
• SCE&G will never ask you to buy a prepaid debit card and call back with the card information.
• If customers have any doubt about the legitimacy of a caller, they should hang up immediately without providing or confirming any personal information, and call our customer service line.

For customers who think they may have been a victim of a scam, SCE&G recommends notifying The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-922-1594 or 1-803-734-4200.

About SCE&G

South Carolina Electric & Gas Company is a regulated public utility engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity to approximately 719,000 customers in 24 counties in the central, southern and southwestern portions of South Carolina. The company also provides natural gas service to approximately 368,000 customers in 35 counties in the state.