HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is warning of a scam that has co-opted their phone number.

The PUC said they’ve received more than 70 phone calls Thursday alone from people who say they’ve received “suspicious phone calls” appearing to be from the PUC.

The scammers, they say, are “spoofing” the PUC’s Philadelphia office phone number, making it appear as the caller ID number.

According to the PUC, the scammers claim to be representatives of the PUC and are telling consumers that PECO, PPL, or another utility is reporting a request to switch the consumer to a different supplier and claims the only way to cancel the switch and remain with the utility is to immediately pay a cancellation fee or face termination.

The PUC reminds Pennsylvanians that they do not make direct calls to consumers to demand payment, confirm supplier switches, or threaten service termination.

They offered several tips to help avoid scams:

• Do not provide personal or financial information to unsolicited callers. Hang up immediately.
• Do not pay unknown callers or provide them with personal information such utility account information, bank account details, credit card, driver license, date of birth, social security number, or address information.
• Never trust caller ID alone. Scammers can spoof legitimate phone numbers to make the call appear credible.
• Contact your utility or supplier directly using the phone number on your bill if you have questions about your account or a potential switch.
• Be aware that utilities may contact customers by phone if a bill is seriously overdue, but these calls are usually part of a broader series of written and electronic notices about a delinquent account or possible termination. If you’re unsure whether a call is legitimate, always contact your utility’s official customer service hotline.
• Report suspicious calls to your utility and the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services at
  1-800-692-7380 or online at puc.pa.gov.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.
• Consider blocking or screening unknown numbers.