PINE MOUNTAIN CLUB, CA (Tuesday, April 5, 2022 at 9:51 a.m.)—A fraudulent phone call was received by a resident in Pine Mountain Club at 9:45 a.m. this morning. The recorded message said the power to the residence would be shut off in 45 minutes if the resident did not “press 1 on the phone’s keypad.” We all know what would happen after pressing 1. The victim would be instructed to make payment using a credit card and, in the course of doing that, would reveal personal financial information that would continue to be exploited in the future. How would a Mountain Community resident know this was a scam? 1) PG&E provides no services in Pine Mountain Club; that is Southern California’s operating area; 2) Utility companies do not call customers to collect payment under a threat to shut off service. Law enforcement agencies recommend that you never press any keys on the phone and that you hang up to disconnect the call.

This is part of the April 1, 2022 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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