A Fresno family spent the Fourth of July without electricity after PG&E cut off their utilities and accused them of energy fraud, leaving them to endure days of triple-digit heat while trying to get answers.
For six days, the family lived out of a trailer as they fought to have their power restored.
“We’ve been suffering trying to make the best of the situation. It’s very hot,” Jessica Sicairos, who was accused of energy fraud, said.
Sicairos said she learned the utilities had been shut off while she was away.
“I was at the grocery store and I got to call that utilities were disconnected. On my way back home, I called them and they told me they were unable to tell me why my utilities were disconnected,” she said.
The family was initially told the shutoff was because they had not paid their bills, but they said that was not true.
They were then accused of meter tampering.
The family later…
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.