Green Dot card scam targets PG&E customers

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Madera County Sheriff's officials are warning business and property owners of a scam that is targeting PG&E customers.

The sheriff's office says it has received two complaints -- one from a filling station in Eastern Madera County and a restaurant in Madera -- that were told over the phone that they each owed nearly $1,000 in past payments and the bill had to be paid in full immediately.

Both businesses were advised to pay the power bill with a Green Dot Money Pak Card, according to investigators. The owner of the restaurant hung up the phone, called PG&E and learned it was a scam. However, the filling station owner paid the phony charge with a Green Dot card.

"Green Dot cards work the same as debit and cash/cards, and are fast becoming a con artist's choice of taking your money," said sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart.

People who believe they may have been victims of this scam should call the Madera County Sheriff's Office at (559) 675-7000.