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South City Scammers Pose As PG&E Workers To Bilk Customers With Prepaid Debit Cards

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- South San Francisco Police are warning the public of a scam in which the caller claims to be from PG&E and asks for a utility payment through a Green Dot prepaid debit card.

On Tuesday, a resident in the 300 block of C Street received a call from a Spanish-speaking caller who said her meter was broken and needed to be fixed, according to police.

The resident was told she was three months behind on her bill and she initially agreed to make a payment, police said.

The suspect told her PG&E would call her the next day, according to police.

When she checked her meter and verified it wasn't broken she contacted PG&E personnel, who informed her that they don't ask for payments over the phone through Green Dot debit cards.

On Wednesday, the same resident received a phone call from an unknown female who also spoke in Spanish, police said.

Police said the suspect told the resident she would arrive at her home in a PG&E truck to receive the payment.

Anyone with information on this incident it asked to call South San Francisco police at (650) 877-8900 or anonymous tip line at (650) 952-2244.

© Copyright 2014 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

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