What is “Empower Maryland Pepco” and why are they calling me??

[Anonymous]

Got a call from someone “on behalf of Pepco” from Empower Maryland saying they are coming to change my lightbulbs? WTF is this? I obviously won’t let anyone in but I’m still worried about someone showing up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Got a call from someone “on behalf of Pepco” from Empower Maryland saying they are coming to change my lightbulbs? WTF is this? I obviously won’t let anyone in but I’m still worried about someone showing up.

I got that too! It made me pretty nervous but apparently it’s a real thing. They actually have a website, although it’s hard to find and the guy had to tell me what to Google. But, I still wasn’t comfortable letting them into my house.

[Anonymous]

Maybe they'll give you led bulbs? They're way more energy efficient. They're expensive too. If they wanna do it for free I guess.. hopefully whoever they send is t casing your house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they'll give you led bulbs? They're way more energy efficient. They're expensive too. If they wanna do it for free I guess.. hopefully whoever they send is t casing your house.

We already have all LED bulbs. But they also didn’t say “hey would you like some free LED bulbs?” They said “our technician is coming to your house tomorrow to replace your light bulbs.”

[Anonymous]

I got weird pepco call too and hung up. I'm in VA too lol. obviously scam or telemarketer

[Anonymous]

We had a guy knock on our door saying he was from Pepco and wanted to come in and replace all our lights with LED bulbs. No one called us prior and I didn’t know the guy from Adam but we were supposed to let them in? 🙄

[Anonymous]

Why can't they leave you the LED bulbs? Is installing bulbs a dangerous activity?

[Anonymous]

I keep getting calls from the same Asian lady supposedly from Empower Maryland offering free smart thermostats and saying “our technician will be in your area tomorrow, what time were you available for them to come to your home?” Initially I skeptical but after doing an online search and seeing that Empower Maryland does exist, I believed them. I agreed to an appointment but I grew more and more skeptical of the sudden call. I called Pepco and they said they NEVER call anyone offering anything. And if someone wants a smart meter, the consumer can request it by calling them or ordering them online and it’s delivered and left at your door, but they don’t install them. You would either install it yourself or hire someone to do it and Pepco provides information on their website so you can call and make an appointment for installation. Another way I realized it was a scam was then I tried calling the number back, I was never able to get anyone on the phone. It went to a voicemail and I left a message saying to cancel the appointment I made, that I didn’t want anyone coming to my house, that I would call the police if someone did show up, and finally to never call me again. Someone must’ve gotten the message even though that was never confirmed because they never did show up to my house. They did, however, keep calling me and it was the same Asian woman every time. I told her that I knew it was a scam and she kept referring me to the Empower Maryland website to show that it’s real. I told her I realized that the Pepco program is real but how the real Pepco told me they don’t call people offering anything and that this was clearly a scam. She kept trying to deny it. I also told her to never call back. But several weeks later she called again. I simply blocked the number.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep getting calls from the same Asian lady supposedly from Empower Maryland offering free smart thermostats and saying “our technician will be in your area tomorrow, what time were you available for them to come to your home?” Initially I was skeptical but after doing an online search and seeing that Empower Maryland does exist, I believed them. I agreed to an appointment but I grew more and more skeptical of the sudden call. I called Pepco and they said they NEVER call anyone offering anything. And if someone wants a smart meter, the consumer can request it by calling them or ordering them online and it’s delivered and left at your door, but they don’t install them. You would either install it yourself or hire someone to do it and Pepco provides information on their website so you can call and make an appointment for installation. Another way I realized it was a scam was then I tried calling the number back, I was never able to get anyone on the phone. It went to a voicemail and I left a message saying to cancel the appointment I made, that I didn’t want anyone coming to my house, that I would call the police if someone did show up, and finally to never call me again. Someone must’ve gotten the message even though that was never confirmed because they never did show up to my house. They did, however, keep calling me and it was the same Asian woman every time. I told her that I knew it was a scam and she kept referring me to the Empower Maryland website to show that it’s real. I told her I realized that the Pepco program is real but how the real Pepco told me they don’t call people offering anything and that this was clearly a scam. She kept trying to deny it. I also told her to never call back. But several weeks later she called again. I simply blocked the number.

[Anonymous]

I had this call and asked why are they offering free stuff?!? It is some type of program that Pepco must give back some of the fees it collects from customers via this program. I am probably not explaining it well.

In any case, a very nice young man came once I made the appointment and he changed lots of lightbulbs in my house and left me a box with additional energy saving stuff: lightbulbs, shower head, extension cord etc. It was great

[Anonymous]

Call the company number on the official website. Do not respond to the cold calls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had this call and asked why are they offering free stuff?!? It is some type of program that Pepco must give back some of the fees it collects from customers via this program. I am probably not explaining it well.

In any case, a very nice young man came once I made the appointment and he changed lots of lightbulbs in my house and left me a box with additional energy saving stuff: lightbulbs, shower head, extension cord etc. It was great

Yeah, it’s a thing. There are lots of companies like this. Basically they come out and change out your bulbs, shower heads, etc for the “greener” version. It’s free for you because you sign over to them the rebate that Pepco will give for the switch to eco saver fixtures.

[Anonymous]

Just say no. It's a scam but they are ripping off taxpayers, not you

[Anonymous]

They kept calling me and I finally said yes to am appointment to get them to stop calling.

Can I take the bulbs and not let them in my house?

Or not answer the door?

[Anonymous]

This post from "PEPCO Team" on NextDoor says it's a criminal scam.

https://nextdoor.com/agency-post/dc/washington/pepco-7/stay-alert-a-new-utility-scam-on-the-rise-for-pepco-customers-192260100/