Darien Scam Prompts ComEd Warning

DARIEN, IL — In response to an incident in Darien, ComEd is warning yet again of imposters trying to scam its customers. Last week, a Darien resident reported he was the victim of a scam involving a man impersonating a ComEd worker. The resident ended up with $500 stolen from his house.

In an email Monday, ComEd spokesman Tom Dominguez said in the past two years, his company has experienced a 60 percent increase in the numbers of customers calling to report energy-related scams and scam attempts.

"We are trying to get the word out to local residents — many of whom may be your readers — on what to look out for to avoid getting scammed," Dominguez said.

About 5 p.m. Nov. 22, the Darien resident told officers that a white man in his 20s came to his door in the 100 block of Plainfield Road to tell him that he needed to put up a utility pole near the back property line. The man said he needed access to the resident's backyard. While the man distracted the resident in the backyard, another person entered the house and removed the money from a dresser, according to the Darien Police Department.

According to a ComEd news release, scammers either show up at homes or small businesses or call using a number that appears to be from ComEd. They may threaten to turn off a customer's service and ask them to make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card.

Here are tips to help identify scams:

• To identify an actual ComEd employee, remember all of its field employees wear a uniform with the ComEd logo, including shirt and safety vest; visibly display a company ID badge with the ComEd logo and employee's name; and drive a white ComEd car or truck with the ComEd logo.
• A ComEd worker may knock on a customer's door if they are unable to access equipment such as the meter or pedestal transformer. If any customer is unsure whether a visitor is a ComEd employee, call 1-800-334-7661 (1-800-EDISON-1) before engaging them.
• ComEd will never come to a customer's home or business to demand a payment, ask for immediate payment with a prepaid cash card or ask for a ComEd account number or other personal information, such as a driver's license number.
• ComEd will never call customers to ask for their account numbers or personal information such as a Social Security number or bank information or make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card.