PECO Warns of Debit Card Scam

Customers purchase pre-paid debit cards that are then drained by fraudsters, the company said.

A scam in which PECO customers are misled into purchasing pre-paid debit cards which are then drained of funds is targeting the Philadelphia region, the electric and gas utility said Thursday. In the scam, customers are contacted by persons who claim to work for PECO and informed that they must make an immediate payment in order to avoid their electricity being shut off. The phony employee then instructs the customer to purchase a pre-paid debit card from a convenience store or similar location, then to provide that card's number. The fraud operators then drain the funds on the card. “We want to make our customers aware of this scam so they can protect themselves from becoming victims of this and other fraudulent activities,” said Mark …

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Power Update: 90% Restored; 16,337 to Go

Utility companies are predicting all, or most, of Montgomery County will restored to power by midnight tonight.

On Saturday, local utility companies restored power to about 25,000 customers, but they still have more than 16,000 to go. In a press release Saturday night, PECO reported that 15,000 customers remained without power in Montgomery County. PPL had 1,190 and Met-Ed stated it had only 147 customers still in the dark. Are you one of the last 16,000? How have you been coping? In Montgomery County, Cheltenham, Abington, Upper Moreland, Lower Merion, and Plymouth, townships are the areas most impacted by power outages. PECO expects most of the remaining customers to have service restored by Sunday midnight.  “I want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we continue to focus on safely restoring service across the region,” …

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40,785 in Montgomery County Remain Without Power

PECO reports it has restored power to more than 725,000 customers affected by Hurricane Sandy.

In the most recent PECO update, from Friday afternoon, PECO reports about 125,000 customers still without power: “This is the worst damage I have ever seen,” said Pat O’Neil, a 25-year PECO veteran supervisor who has been working 16-hour shifts to restore service since the beginning of the storm.  “Many of the areas we are working in had significant damage, including multiple downed trees and poles, downed wires, and damaged equipment.  In some of these areas, we need to completely rebuild the electric distribution system and supporting infrastructure to restore service to our customers.” PPL reports 2,062 customers without power mostly in Upper Hanover, Franconia and Hatfield in Montgomery County. Met Ed has 723 customers out in …

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Edgehill Road Closed Due to Electric Wires and Tree Down

Edgehill road is temporarily closed until further notice.

The following alert was sent out by the Upper Moreland Police Department via nixle.com: Edgehill Rd to be closed between Terwood and Overlook until further notice due to a tree and PECO wires across the road

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PECO Warns of Utility Scam

President Obama is not providing funding to help pay your electric or gas bill.

A scam intended to deceive people into providing their social security numbers, banking details, and other personal information by misleading them to believe that the government will help pay their utility bills has appeared in the greater Philadelphia region, PECO said in a recent press release. The scam, which has been reportedly taking place through social media such as Facebook, text messages, telephone, and U.S. Mail, claims that United States President Barack Obama is providing funding to help customers pay their utility bills. “We want to make our customers aware of this scam and any potential issues so they can protect themselves from becoming victims of identity theft and other fraudulent activities,” said Mark Alden, PECO vice …

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Draft Agenda for the July 2 UM BOC Regular Meeting

A ceremonial Oath of Office will take place for Don Warner, incoming appointed Ward 7 commissioner.

Below is the draft agenda for the July 2 Regular Meeting of the Upper Moreland Township Board of Commissioners. The meeting will take place at the municipal building, starting at 7 p.m. --- Presentations/Announcements  Public Comments – Non-Agenda Items Only Treasurer's Activity Report, Joseph J. Olszak, Treasurer Approval of Minutes – June 4, 2012 Regular Meeting                                                         Finance & Administrative Committee Appointments:  List of Bills Payable Other Items: Community Development Committee – No action items Parks & Recreation Committee Public Health & Safety Committee – No action items Commissioner Comments Adjournment

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Construction Continues on Rt. 611 and the Turnpike Bridge

More single-lane closures southbound on Easton in store for this week.

According to a PA Turnpike press release, PECO Electric has scheduled utility relocation work utilizing intermittent single-lane closures southbound on Rt. 611 between the hours 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The construction is expceted to last Monday, June 25 – Friday, June 29. Additionally, overhead bridge work will require the contractor to periodically restrict traffic to one lane in either direction between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.   The overhead bridge and work zone is located between Maryland and Wyandotte Roads, approximately one-half mile south of the on/off ramps to the Willow Grove Interchange.   Motorists are advised to use alternative routes or allow extra time for travel through the area as delays may occasionally occur. All work …

PECO Weathers the Heat

It's a 'typical day' for the utility as the area cranks up the air conditioners.

As heat indexes topped 100 across the western Philadelphia suburbs in advance of the summer solstice on Wednesday evening, the region's main electrical utility wasn't even breaking a sweat.  "We're not approaching peak volume at all," said Cathy Engel Menendez, Communications Manager at PECO. "It's a typical day for us." During a heat wave last July, PECO experienced its highest-ever power demand and shut off institutional customers who had volunteered to have their power interrupted during periods of high demand.  Engel Menendez said the utility was "monitoring the situation" and had extra field forces on standby in the event of outages.  "Other than that, it's all quiet," Engel Menendez said. Temperatures are expected to soar into the …

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Stephen Eickhoff

4:00 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Of course they do. And Nelson's loves these days because they make a lot of $$$$$$$ from all the ice cream.   more ›

UPDATE: PECO Reports Scattered Power Outages From Recent Storm

PECO crews are currently dispatched to resolve any power issues in the five-county PECO service area.

[Update 5:38 p.m.] Reports are now coming in that PECO crews have finished restoring power to the effected homes in the Upper Moreland area. [Original story below] Today's thunderstorm brought lighting, heavy rains and high winds causing scattered power outages in the Greater Philadelphia five-county region, according to PECO spokesperson Liz Williamson. Williamson said that there are no reports of massive power outages, including the Eastern Montgomery County area, and that PECO crews are currently dispatched to problem sites throughout the PECO service region. There is at least one case of a power outage in Upper Moreland, as reported by @MontcoPatch Twitter follower @knittingzeal, who said that her Willow Grove street has lost power, as…

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Upper Moreland Business Owner Now Operating on Solar Energy

Bob Young’s businesses are on the forefront of green-minded practices, and is facilities may be the first in Upper Moreland to have a “virtual net meter” installed.

Last month, Bob Young had a brilliant idea. He decided to power all buildings on the location of his small businesses with solar energy. “Something I’ve always been into was alternative energy,” Young said. Young is the president and founder of Young Construction and Youngscape. His main office, a 2-story, 70-feet-by-35-feet building, is located at 2548 Wynadote Road in Willow Grove, where he shares office space with his wife’s business, Young Home Design and Staging. Originally located in Abington, Young moved his operations to Upper Moreland in 1996. Young’s current location, over an acre long, also houses three more buildings:     Green-minded initiatives Over the years, Young’s interest in alternative energy has led him to make green-…

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