Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is warning his constituents of an emerging scam being perpetrated on customers of New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E). The scam involves a person claiming to be a NYSEG or RG&E representative calling customers and threatening them with service cancellation unless they buy a ‘Green Dot MoneyPak Card.’ Once purchased, the scammer uses the card.

“Customers of NYSEG and RG&E need to be on guard for scammers soliciting the Green Dot MoneyPak Card. If you get one of these calls, do not buy the card and contact the Federal Trade Commission and your local police to let them know the issue,” said Hawley. “If you have fallen victim to the scheme, you may be able to get your money back by contacting Green Dot MoneyPak and deactivating the card before the scammer uses it.”

Scam victims who want to get their money back can do so by going to https://www.moneypak.com/Help.aspx and clicking “I would like a refund of my MoneyPak.” However, this will not work if the scammer has already spent your money.