COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — The third week of every November is National Utility Scam Awareness Week.
As such, Ameren Illinois has been warning residents and businesses to be aware of the pretenders.
The utility said since mid-2014, it has received upwards of 5,000 reports of scams that have extorted around $140,000 from Ameren customers.
“The main red flag of a utility scam is a threat to disconnect service if immediate payment is not made,” said Ameren’s Arleen Williams.
“[Legitimate] disconnect services are sent through the mail, and customers will always have at least a week to make arrangements on outstanding amounts owed.”
Another big red flag, Williams said, is when a caller gives instructions to pay via a prepaid card.
“These cards can be purchased at almost any gas station or convenience store. The scammer instructs the person to go to the store, put money on the card, and call back with information on the back of the card,” she said.
“Once that happens, the scammer irreversibly drains the funds.”
Williams said anyone who believes they’ve been contacted by a scammer should contact their utility company directly.
The most susceptible demographics, according to the company, are small businesses, the elderly, and those who don’t speak English as a first language.
Figures released by Ameren showed 750 scams have been attempted in 2019, alone.
