During the season when many people dress up in costumes for fun activities, ComEd is reminding the public to beware of unwelcomed solicitations by tricksters who pose as utility workers and usually target customers through door-to-door visits and phone calls.
With the door-to-door scams, someone impersonating a utility worker will visit customers’ homes looking to get personal and/or account information, and in some cases enter into the customer’s home. Variations of the phone scam include stories that the customer’s billing cycle has changed and payment is needed immediately; the account is past due and immediate payment is required to avoid disconnection of service; or that the customer’s previous payments were not accepted or processed. In those cases, the scammers instruct customers to buy a prepaid credit card and direct them to call back with the personal identification number (PIN).
“During a season where we’re accustomed to seeing people in costumes, ComEd cares about the safety of our customers and we want to raise awareness of these door-to-door scam artists who try to unfairly target people all year long,” said Fidel Marquez, senior vice president of Governmental and External Affairs, ComEd. “We want our customers to be informed and avoid becoming victims to this type of scam. If customers are ever unsure about the authenticity of a utility worker at their door or over the phone, they should contact ComEd or the police immediately.”
ComEd also wants to remind customers that representatives from the company always carry proper identification and never ask customers for cash or personal financial information.
Anyone who believes he or she has been a target of a phone scam is urged to contact the Illinois Attorney General’s office toll free at 1-800-386-5438 (TTY 1-800-964-3013) or visit the Illinois Attorney General’s web site at www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov and click on the link “Protecting Consumers.”
Customers can avoid being scammed by taking a few precautions:
- Never provide social security or personal information to anyone initiating contact with you claiming to be a utility representative or requesting you to send money to another person or entity other than your local utility providers.
- Always ask to see a company photo ID before allowing any utility worker into your home or business.
- When in doubt, check it out. Be skeptical of individuals wearing clothing with old or defaced company logos. If you have any doubts, ask to see a company photo ID.
- Never make payment for services to anyone coming to the door.
- If customers ever have concerns about the status of their account, they can contact ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1
About ComEd
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 7.8 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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