National Grid Reminds Customers Beware of Impostors and Bill Scammers

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. – National Grid is reminding customers to be alert for impostors and scammers trying to gain access to account information and entry to National Grid customers’ homes and businesses.

The company has received reports from customers about door-to-door sales for home energy goods and services. In these instances the people claim to be working with the utility and local emergency responders to gain entry to a home by telling the customer they must inspect natural gas equipment, carbon monoxide detectors or other safety equipment for a fee.

These door-to-door representatives are not from National Grid. The company does not conduct sales door-to-door and National Grid does not offer residential equipment inspection and maintenance service.

Ask Questions/Demand Proper ID

Customers should always ask to see the identification of anyone attempting to gain entrance to their home -- especially if the customer did not initiate a service call. If someone requesting entry into your home or place of business does not show an ID card, do not let them in.

National Grid employees and contractors have visible photo identification badges with the company logo and wear uniforms with the company name and logo when conducting routine or emergency services for residences and businesses. Most, but not all, National Grid employees also travel in clearly marked National Grid vehicles when providing service to residences and businesses.

National Grid contractors are currently installing automated meter reading (AMR) technology throughout Long Island which will enhance customer service and security. AMR will allow for monthly meter readings to be collected by driving by a customer’s home without accessing the property.

National Grid has the following operating procedures in place for our service technicians and meter readers should they require access to customers’ homes:

• An approximate date of the forthcoming meter reading is included in the bill.
• Meter readings occur between a four day consecutive billing window, and a National Grid representative can arrive during business hours on one of those 4 days.
• Meter readers, while company contractors, also carry company identification, and their uniforms, safety vests, hats and vehicles are co-branded.
• Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology is currently being installed throughout Long Island over the next 8 months. This $50M investment will enhance customer service and security by eliminating about 3.5 million visits to homes a year to manually read gas meters.
• For scheduled appointments, service technicians will call customers in advance.
• When investigating a leak or some other issue of concern, the service technician may be led to a home or business that did not report it, but will always be traveling in clearly marked National Grid vehicles, and wearing hats and safety vests with the company’s logo.

If you are in any doubt as to whether an individual is a National Grid employee or contractor, tell the person to wait outside and then call National Grid to confirm identification. National Grid natural gas customers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and the Rockaway Peninsula should call 1-800-930-5003. If customers feel there is an immediate danger, they should call 911.

Phone Scammers

There have been reports of on-going utility bill scammers targeting National Grid customers demanding immediate payment for bill balances that customers likely do not owe. The fraudulent callers are claiming to be from National Grid and threatening service shut off if payment is not received immediately.

National Grid does contact customers with past due balances by phone to offer payment options and to remind them that service shutoff is a possibility if they fail to pay their past due balance. Direct payment is an option but direct payment is never demanded as a prerequisite for continued service. If customers wish, they can arrange for a payment by check, credit card or debit card if they speak directly to a customer service representative. Payment can also be made by credit card or debit card without a representative’s assistance. National Grid does not accept pre-paid debit cards for payment and would never ask a customer to acquire one of these cards to make a bill payment.

Customers should verify they are speaking with a National Grid representative. One way to do this is to have available the last five digits of their National Grid account number and ask the caller to provide those numbers. If the caller can’t provide the information, if you doubt the caller is a National Grid representative, or if they have any questions about our balance, hang up immediately and call our customer contact center. Customers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and the Rockaway Peninsula should call 1-800-930-5003.

In all instances when customers come in contact with any individual offering utility services or claiming to represent National Grid, they should verify their identity before providing account information, making a bill payment or allowing access to their home or business. Customers who believe they are a victim to a scam should contact National Grid and local law enforcement officials immediately.