SAN DIEGO – January 17, 2011 – After San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) alerted their customers three months ago to be aware of someone posing as an employee of SDG&E, fraudulent phone calls continue against Hispanic and Asian small businesses in San Diego, threatening to turn off their power due to not making a late payment to their SDG&E account.  The imposter asks for an immediate payment unless they provide their credit card information.

Businesses continue receiving these calls and, unfortunately, some have provided their credit card information to this imposter.   SDG&E wants to alert again other individuals and businesses in an effort to prevent them from becoming fraud victims.  The company assures customers that SDG&E will not proactively contact them and ask for credit card information over the phone.
 
SDG&E customers must not provide any financial information by phone unless they have initiated the conversation.  If you have received this kind of call and believe you might have been a victim of fraud, please contact SDG&E’s Customer Service line immediately at 1-800-411-7343. 
  
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 840,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties.  The utility’s area spans 4,100 square miles.  SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help our customers save energy and money every day.  SDG&E is a subsidiary of http://sempra.com(NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.

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