Duquesne light

Victim Location 15136

Type of a scam Utility

Just had an attempted scam. 1-800-815-9820 supposedly Duquesne light . Power will be disconnected within an hour.

They wanted $355 to stop disconnection. The problem is the payments are automatically withdrawn and have been for years for this account. I immediately went to the Duquesne web and it shows a high report of recent scams. Duquesne Light Will never call same day disconnection notices. After realizing this we decided to play a bit. Asked if there was a lesser amount and they agreed to drop it to $300. They wanted us to go to our nearest Giant Eagle and get

a “ MoneyPak” envelope which comes with a $5.95 fee. Then call them back with the processing number. We then asked for a supervisor, which they conveniently had waiting in the wings. As soon as she answered we just said shame on you and hung up. I reported to Duquesne Light.

Victim Location 15212

Type of a scam Fake Invoice/Supplier Bill

Victim was contacted by "Anthony" from Duquesne Light at 877-247-9948. He informed victim her business’ light bill is overdue and they owe $1400. Anthony informed victim that if she met on Liberty Avenue, she could pay $1150 in cash. Victim called Duquesne Light and informed her it was fake.

Victim Location 15216

Type of a scam Utility

Lucy called. In a very assertive tone she said that she needed immediate contact to discuss my Duquesne Light bill and to have it ready. This person has called several times leaving voicemails. My bills are paid and D. Light has no mention of issues. They did not attmempt to get money because I know they are frauds.

Victim Location 15332

Type of a scam Utility

I have been receiving phone calls from someone claiming to be from Duquesne light, telling me I need to return a phone call to 412 326-0428, as soon as possible with a copy of my last billing statement. First of all I have West Penn Power and not Duquesne Light, so I called the number and they hung up on me when I told them I wanted my phone number removed from whatever listing they had it on, and the person who answered the phone promptly hung up on me. I called them back immediately to find the number has been disconnected.

Victim Location 15222

Total money lost $1,000

Type of a scam Utility

Caller identified himself as a representative of Duquesne Light and threatened to shut off services within an hour due to non-payment. When told manner of bill payments, they said there was a known issue with that kind of payment gateway and the only resolution was to pay immediately. Credit card would not be expected, they directed me to purchase a prepaid card with cash and to provide the prepaid card code to them by phone. MoneyPak is the name of the prepaid card and they take no responsibility. Reported to Duquesne Light which took no responsibility. Also reported to state department of consumer fraud.

Victim Location 15219

Type of a scam Utility

We received a phone call supposedly from a Duquesne Light representative indicating that we were overdue on a bill and needed to pay immediately or the lights in our building would be shut off within 40 minutes. We inquired about the amount and the last paid amount they had record of and they had difficult providing the information. We finally hung up and called Duquesne Light directly and they provided a different protocol than what the first caller provided. We determined that this was a scam.

Victim Location 15001

Type of a scam Utility

Victim was contacted by someone claiming to be from Duquesne Light. The caller did not provide their name. The caller asked if this is Mr. (victim’s last name) or Mrs. (victim’s last name)? When victim said "yes", the caller hung up.

Victim Location 15221

Type of a scam Utility

A man calling himself Allen Charles contacts the consumer and request the consumer’s Duquesne light account number. They promise the consumer a free one month energy service. When you call back the number 800-688-7432 you hear a recording of Frank Sinatra- "The Best is Yet to Come", you are given the option to have a call back by pressing 1, due to an unusual large volume of calls with a ten minute wait time to speak to a representative. If you press one, your number is captured and repeated back. Consumer contacted Duquesne Light and they are aware of this happening but said it a scam and they can’t prevent it.