Scammers target PNM customers

Public Service Company of New Mexico is warning business owners in Santa Fe and other New Mexico cities to be wary of scammers who threaten to disconnect customers’ electricity unless a payment is made.

In the past two weeks, PNM has received more than 300 reports from business customers about the attempts, primarily in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe, though businesses and even some residential customers statewide have been targeted, according to a news release. PNM reports some scammers have devised a way for a false PNM caller ID name to appear and play recorded on hold messages when customers call the number back.

Those targeted are asked over the phone for payments through gift cards, PayPal or credit card.

The utility said Friday appears to be a favored day to make the attempts, threatening discontinuation of the service over the weekend — particularly if a payment is not made within a small window of time.

PNM said it does not disconnect service on weekends or holidays. “Unfortunately, this is not a new scam against utility customers across the country and imposters are more sophisticated than ever,” Becky Teague, vice president of external affairs for PNM, said in the news release.

PNM advises customers to protect themselves by:

Checking bill. If you have not received a bold disconnect notice on the first page of the document, it’s a scam.

Customers can call the number on the bill to find the status of their account.

PNM says it does sometimes make calls to customers who are past due, but scammers could not know who those customers are.

Customers who believe they may be targeted are asked to write down details, including the name and number on the caller ID and the specifics of the request. They also may report it to the company at 888-DIAL-PNM.