Skip to Main Content
ajax loader animation

Orange & Rockland Cautions Customers: Don’t Fall Victim to Scammers; Awareness is Your Best Defense

  • Orange & Rockland Media Relations

  • Pearl River – November 21, 2025 -- 01:00 PM

The scammers who try to rip off Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) customers study technology and how they can use it to steal money and personal information.


Scammers use personal visits, phone calls, email, texts and other methods to contact O&R customers and trick them into giving up their money or personal information. They do not target specific people when looking for potential victims, and all residential and business customers throughout the O&R service territory in New York and New Jersey should remain vigilant.


“Each year, scammers find new and creative ways to steal from people. Fortunately, our customers can empower themselves with tools and information to avoid common scamming practices,” said Janette Espino, O&R vice president of Customer Service. “A customer who receives a request for immediate payment or is pressured to give up personal information can stop the scammer by remaining composed and refusing any requests. Being able to recognize any deceptive tactics will go a long way.”

 

O&R shares information about scam prevention with more than 150 utilities and trade associations in North America that are members of Utilities United Against Scams. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has declared this week to be International Fraud Awareness Week.


The company offers its customers these and other tips on how to avoid scams:

  • O&R will never ask for personal identifying information (PII), such as a Social Security Number or date of birth. Scammers can spoof caller IDs to make it appear that a call is from O&R. If you’re asked for PII, hang up immediately.

  • We’ll never call to request your account number, account balance, payment information, or address. Hang up and contact the company (1-833-460-7059) if a caller, visitor, text or email asks for sensitive information.
  • People trying to pull a scam often try to sell a customer on urgency, such as threatening to shut off service if payments are not made.
  • We don’t solicit payments through prepaid gift cards, or cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. Hang up if you’re asked to make a payment through these methods. If you need to make a payment, you can do so safely at oru.com.
  • O&R currently does not accept payment via debit cards or cash apps (like Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal). Someone who asks you to make payment through one of these methods is a scammer.
  • If you receive an email from someone claiming to be from O&R, check the sender’s address before taking any action. Our emails always come from an account ending in oru.com. If the address doesn’t match, don’t click on any links and report it as spam.
  • A person who shows up at your home or business without wearing O&R identification is not a company employee. An O&R employee will politely show the ID to the customer when asked. If you are still not sure if the person works for the company, call O&R at 1-833-460-7059 to get confirmation.


O&R urges customers to be particularly aware that scammers may knock on their door, claim to be from the company and try to talk their way inside. Once inside, these individuals have stolen money and property. In the worst instances, they have committed assaults.


When a customer gives money to a scammer, the scammer will often claim that the payment did not go through and demand another payment. O&R has received reports of customers providing multiple payments totaling thousands of dollars to a scammer.

 

O&R’s website offers approved options for bill payment. O&R accepts check, credit card or cash at an authorized payment location listed on our website.

 

About O&R

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies. O&R is a regulated utility that provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange and Rockland Utilities) and northern New Jersey (where it’s Rockland Electric Company), and natural gas service to approximately 140,000 customers in New York. 

 

;