Plan B Forum

Especially since I paid the electric bill in full last week:

PG&E Bill

Your Account Summary

Amount Due on Previous Statement $344.70
Payment(s) Recieved Since Last Statement 0

Previous Unpaid Balance $344.70

Current Electric Charges $165.80
Current Gas Charges $49.20

Total Amount Due BY 02/01/2014 $559.70

It included a helpful link for me to log on and make my payment...

I was just about to pick up the phone and ream somebody at PG&E a new one, when I decided to take a little closer look; the email really didn't look like our usual monthly statement...(It had the PG&E logo, but the layout just didn't look quite right...)

So I looked at the Full Header Details, checked the "from" email address, and I discovered that apparently as a cost saving move, PG&E has relocated their headquarters to Russia:

From: "PG&E" <do_not_reply@nalivnoipol.ru>

These guys just never run out of new fiendish tricks to pull out of their bag...

It's something to do with victimless crimeas. The charge of the electric light brigade.

Forward brave 120! (240 in Europe)


But they are improving at this,'spoofing' a legitimate business transaction, and will continue to do so. Low-cost and high value crime. Once the money is deposited in Mother Russia (or similar) its gone forever.


yrs,
rubato

I still get my bills snail mailed to me and pay by written check sent via the same snail mail.

oldr prepares to pay a bill

Yes oldr, make sure there's enough ink in the well...

I'm trying to remember the last time I wrote a check...(I think it was back in September to buy some stuff at an event at Tati's school; they weren't set up to take plastic.) at this point, I write maybe three or four checks a year...(generally, like the last one, for something related to school.)

I've not had a cheque book since I arrived in Aus.

I still use checks and Snail Mail as well; I don't trust putting my account on the internet. It's probably just as secure, but I just don't trust it.

My wife prefers checks. I almost never use them.

yrs,
rubato