North Hills residents warned about scammers posing as Penn Power employees
Officials in several North Hills communities have issued a warning for residents to be aware of two separate scams involving people posing as representatives from Penn Power.
One of the scams involves calls made to residents offering a 40-percent discount on their Penn Power electric bill if they accept an offer presented to them.
Officials say the calls can be difficult to detect because the caller ID displayed on residents’ telephones shows up as “Penn Power” along with the utility’s 800-720-3600 Customer Service number.
Officials say while scammers have managed to use the utility’s telephone number, the calls being placed are not affiliated with Penn Power.
A second scam involves people going door-to-door distributing material offering a surge protection service.
Utility officials say their employees do not travel door-to-door to sell or offer products and urges residents not to accept a product or to sign up for anything.
Penn Power employees drive marked vehicles bearing the utility’s logos and carry an official ID.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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