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New Jersey residents are being alerted to a scam involving a $100 credit on their electric bills. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) issued a warning after receiving reports of scammers posing as utility employees. These scammers are making unsolicited calls, offering to help residents obtain the credit by asking for personal information. However, officials have confirmed that this is a scam.
The NJBPU emphasized that the $100 credit is automatically applied to all eligible accounts and requires no action from customers. The credit will be distributed in two $50 installments, appearing on utility bills in September and October. All 3.9 million residential electric ratepayers in New Jersey are eligible for this benefit, which is part of a $430 million relief package aimed at offsetting high energy costs due to increased capacity prices in the PJM wholesale electric market.
The NJBPU has made it clear that no legitimate representative will contact customers to enroll them in the program. Residents who receive suspicious calls are urged not to provide any personal or financial information. Instead, they should hang up and report the incident to the NJBPU Customer Assistance Division at 800-624-0241.
The NJBPU has also advised that income-qualified residents may receive an additional $175 Residential Energy Assistance Payment, which can be combined with the universal credit for further relief.