EXCLUSIVE: Utility scammer talks about stealing Long Island residents money

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Eyewitness News has uncovered a scam that has made one man millions of dollars.

He poses as an official at PSEG Long Island and demands money or says that service will be turned off.

With a busy salon, it's understandable that owner, Laura Vecchio, panicked when got a message from power company PSEG that her electricity was about to be shut off. She immediately called the 800 number the person left and talked to a man named Mike.

"You have reached the deadline now you have no other choice but to pay it now. I have a guy out in the field that's coming to turn your electric off," Vecchio said.

Vecchio didn't know what to do except pay.

"The salon was packed with women, clients under the driers, under the heat lamps, color on their head," Vecchio said.

After she got over her panic, Vecchio realized it was a scam when she was told to get a prepaid Visa card and call back with the numbers.

"I came within inches of paying it," Vecchio said.

So Eyewitness News called the same 800 number and a man named Michael answered. It didn't take long for him to confess to stealing from people from his home in Puerto Rico using this scam, but says it was his friend who called Vecchio. So confident in his con, he agreed to an interview.

"Let me be honest, if you had children and they sick and you have no food to give and you had nothing to give them I'm pretty sure you would do the same thing I do," Michael said.

"Michael" tells Eyewitness News he sometimes feels bad preying on people's emotions, but it doesn't stop him from lining his pockets.

"On a good day how much money do you make doing this scam?" Eyewitness News asked.

"Sometimes you can make three, $2,000," Michael said.

Michael says he's made $3 million in 10 years using this scam, but was quick to get off the phone when Eyewitness News questioned him more about that.

"But you've made $3 million so these children obviously have food if you've made $3 million," Eyewitness News said.

"Well I'm sorry you said two minutes and right now it's seven minutes, OK," Michael said.