Scammers are crashing San Diego real estate deals, pretending to be San Diego Gas & Electric employees and demanding instant payment under threat of cutting the lights.
Yesterday, San Diego Gas & Electric warned that criminals are targeting both real estate professionals and homeowners with texts, emails and spoofed phone calls that look and sound official. The messages push people to call phony numbers or pay immediately using untraceable methods.
The scheme has already snagged at least one homeowner, and a local real estate professional reported a suspicious text that helped trigger the current alert. According to San Diego Gas & Electric, the utility will not call or text customers to demand immediate payment and will not accept payments via Bitcoin, Zelle or Green Dot.
Instead, scammers often steer victims to fake call centers complete with polished recorded greetings, hold music and scripted "customer service" reps who lean hard on shutoff threats to force fast payment. If there is any doubt about a message, SDG&E tells customers to hang up and call its Customer Care Center directly at 1-800-411-7343, or 1-800-311-7343 for Spanish speakers.
As first reported by FOX 5 San Diego, a local real estate professional received a text that falsely claimed to be from SDG&E, and a homeowner who dialed the number in a similar message later learned the entire exchange was fake. The report describes scammers using convincing logos, hold music and customer service scripts that feel familiar enough to lower people’s guard. Add in high-pressure demands to pay right now and it is a recipe for bad decisions.
Why Realtors And Homeowners Are Targets
Fraudsters like to chase big, fast payouts, so they often zero in on property sellers, small-business owners and older adults. Real estate transactions, with their tight timelines and complicated paperwork, give criminals plenty of cover for schemes that look like just one more urgent item in a packed to-do list.
Utilities United Against Scams has warned that impostors are increasingly demanding unusual payment methods such as cryptocurrency, prepaid cards or third-party apps. Local reporting, including coverage by NBC 7 San Diego, says that pattern has lined up with a rise in title-fraud attempts, and has highlighted recent cases that show just how polished and convincing these cons can be.
How To Spot And Respond To These Scams
If you get an unsolicited message demanding payment, the safest move is simple: hang up, or delete the text or email, and do not click any links. Then verify the contact by using the number on your bill or the official SDG&E website. No legitimate utility will insist that you pay with cryptocurrency, gift cards or peer-to-peer payment apps.
If you think you have already been conned, time matters. Contact your bank or card issuer, then reach out to local law enforcement and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit to report what happened and get guidance, as advised by the San Diego County District Attorney.
Realtors can play defense by warning clients and colleagues about suspicious messages, especially during active transactions when people expect last-minute money demands. Homeowners who are worried about title or transfer issues may want to look into monitoring services. Above all, staying skeptical of urgent payment threats and using only official contact channels is still the quickest way to keep your money where it belongs.
