Watts Going On? Fake Edison Callers Pressure Irvinite

Photo credit Marek Piwnicki

When Irvine resident Amy Jones* received a call from someone claiming to represent Southern California Edison, the pitch sounded official and urgent.

“They said they wanted to come out so they could read my meter to make sure I’m getting all of the discounts and promotions available to me,” said Jones.

The caller, who knew her name and address, stated that due to recent state legislation, there might be ways to reduce Jones’s bills. They claimed an in-person visit was needed in order to assess the situation.

“That’s where I kind of was like, huh?” Jones said. “My meter’s outside my house. You can take a look at it. And also, don’t you know what my meter says? If you’re representing the energy company?”

Still, she scheduled the appointment.

“And then after that, I’m like, why the hell did I do that?” she said. “I entertained this way too much.”

Jones provided screenshots to The Vine showing a follow-up call attempting to reschedule. When she decided to cancel, she said the tone changed.

“I said, ‘You know, actually, I don’t want to do it. Can you just cancel my appointment?’ And they said, ‘Okay, sure,’” she recalled. “And then I got a call back from a supervisor who was really kind of aggressive. That’s when I just hung up on her.”

Jones described feeling mounting pressure during that final call.

“She was really annoyed about me canceling,” Jones said. “It was kind of like, ‘You’d be dumb not to meet with us and see — don’t you want to save money? Why wouldn’t you want to save money?’”

While Jones ultimately trusted her instincts, she said the experience was unsettling.

“I’m a college-educated native English speaker who thought twice before deciding it was a scam,” she said. “If they can get me, they’re going to get other people for sure.”

After hanging up, Jones did some online research and found similar reports. She believes the callers were using the utility’s name as a lead-generation tactic.

“What they try to do is get you in person and then try to sell you solar or sell you home improvements,” she said. “It’s just a lead-generation tactic to get whoever has hired them to meet with you. It has nothing to do with your energy company or the law. It’s all very shady.”

In an email statement to The Vine, Jeff Monford, a spokesperson for Southern California Edison, shared practical safety tips to help customers spot and report scams.

“Slow down,” Monford wrote. “Take time to consider the legitimacy of unexpected and urgent payment requests.”

He advised customers to verify any suspicious contact directly with SCE by using the phone number listed on their utility bill or by visiting sce.com to check their account status. Scammers, he noted, often insist on payment through fraudulent methods such as prepaid store barcodes, prepaid cards, gift cards, third-party payment apps or cryptocurrency.

“If an SCE representative visits your home or business, always ask for identification before allowing anyone entry,” Monford added. Customers can also call the employee verification line at 1-800-655-4555 and select option 5 to confirm an employee’s identity.

Jones said she’s grateful she trusted her instincts, and hopes others will too.

Residents who receive a suspicious call, text, email or in-person visit are encouraged to report it at sce.com/scamalert. If a phone number is provided, SCE will work to verify it and attempt to have it disconnected if it is fraudulent. SCE regularly communicates with customers about scam prevention and urges residents to report suspicious activity immediately.

*Amy Jones is an alias used to protect the privacy of the person involved.