ComEd Warns Residential Customers, Small Businesses of Recent Scams

Submitted by the village of Arlington Heights

ComEd Security reminds customer to be aware of scams that are targeting both residential customers and small businesses across the ComEd service territory.

There have been recent reports of phone scams involving a person calling a resident or small business and reporting that their billing cycle has changed and payment is needed immediately; or 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 these scenarios, the scammers instruct customers to buy a prepaid credit card and direct them to call back with a personal identification number (PIN).

There has been an unprecedented surge of these scam attempts over the last several weeks, according to ComEd Security. Over 80 percent of the scams have been targeting small businesses. Scammers are requesting funds between $100-$300 from residential customers and $1,000-$1,600 from small business customers.

ComEd reminds customers that ComEd representatives always carry proper identification and never ask customers for cash payments or personal financial information. They also will never call a customer to request a cash payment or ask you to buy a prepaid credit card to pay a bill.

Anyone who believes they have been a target of a phone scam is urged to contact the Illinois Attorney General’s Office toll free at 1-800-5438 or visit the Illinois Attorney General’s website at www.illinoisattorneygemeral.gov and click on the link “Protecting Customers.”

Customers can reach ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 to inquire about details on their account or to report a possible scam.