ROCHESTER – Rochester Gas and Electric is telling customers not to use the telephone number for assisting hearing-impaired customers that is listed on its bills and websites after learning that the number was being used by a potential scammer.
The number, 1-800-962-3293, has been discontinued.
Customers are instead asked to use 711, the New York Relay service, which is commonly used by the hearing-impaired population in New York.
“We are updating all documents, including our monthly bills, where the number previously appeared, and we are conducting a full audit of our customer service numbers to ensure they are secure,” RG&E said in a statement.
“This is a national issue. It’s not just impacting Rochester,” Brian Harrell, vice president of physical and cyber security at Avangrid, the parent company of RG&E, said in a news release. “According to the FBI, customers lost $10.3 billion from online and phone scams, with cyber criminals looking to take your sensitive information.”
“We want our customers to know that we are taking action and we are committed to securing their personal information,” Patricia Nilsen, president and CEO of RG&E and New York State Energy and Gas, said in a news release.