FOR THE MEDIA
• September 10, 2021
Warning: beware of scammers impersonating gas workers
Polska Spółka Gazownictwa (PSG), the National Operator of the Gas Distribution System in Poland, warns against fraudsters who pretend to be employees of the gas company and commit increasingly daring crimes. The last fraud attempt reported to PSG took place in Olsztyn. The company advises on how to behave in such situations.
The scammers acting in the capital of Warmia and Mazury and in its vicinity pretended to be employees of a gas company and offered carbon monoxide detectors to the residents. They visited their potential victims (usually lonely and elderly people) under the pretext of checking the gas installation in their flats.
To increase their credibility, the fake gas engineers used professional equipment for checking the tightness of the installation and a briefcase with alleged lists of customers. Once they gained somebody’s trust, they offered to sell them the detectors. They described the devices as detectors of escaping gas and offered them for PLN 300 although their market value is almost four times lower.
It is difficult to estimate the scale of this crime because some victims do not report it to the police. Only a few of them decide to contact representatives of the local gas distribution company in order to verify the persons claiming to be its employees. Polska Spółka Gazownictwa advises to exercise increased caution. First and foremost, ask persons claiming to be PSG employees to show their employee identity cards with a photograph, employee number, and expiry date.
To increase their credibility, the fake gas engineers used professional equipment for checking the tightness of the installation and a briefcase with alleged lists of customers. Once they gained somebody’s trust, they offered to sell them the detectors. They described the devices as detectors of escaping gas and offered them for PLN 300 although their market value is almost four times lower.
It is difficult to estimate the scale of this crime because some victims do not report it to the police. Only a few of them decide to contact representatives of the local gas distribution company in order to verify the persons claiming to be its employees. Polska Spółka Gazownictwa advises to exercise increased caution. First and foremost, ask persons claiming to be PSG employees to show their employee identity cards with a photograph, employee number, and expiry date.
