Peoria Standard

In observance of National Utility Scam Awareness Day on November 20, 2024, utility companies around the globe are joining forces to promote the United Against Scams campaign. The initiative aims to educate customers and prevent them from falling prey to scams.

The holiday season is a time when scammers often ramp up their activities, taking advantage of individuals who may be preoccupied with family gatherings, parties, travel, and shopping.

Ameren has issued a reminder about common scam tactics and offers advice on how customers can protect themselves. Scammers frequently create urgency by using phrases like "pay now or you'll be disconnected" or offering special discounts for immediate payment. They may impersonate Ameren employees using fake employee numbers or mimic account information. A sophisticated tactic involves masking incoming calls to appear as if they are from Ameren on caller ID systems while providing a different number for payments.

Customers should also be wary of fake search engine listings that include fraudulent customer service numbers for Ameren. These impostors disguise themselves as company representatives to extract payments or steal financial information. Customers are advised to visit Ameren.com directly for legitimate contact details.

A newer scam involves promises of reduced utility bills through solar panel installations. Scammers have been going door-to-door pitching these fake offers. Additionally, social media charity scams claim that a charity will pay utility bills if the customer makes an initial partial payment via money transfer.

Scammers may suggest unusual forms of payment such as cash apps, bitcoin, or specific locations for obtaining cash cards.

To protect against these scams, customers should never provide personal financial information over the phone or in response to unsolicited messages. If someone claiming to be an Ameren employee requests immediate payment, end the conversation and call Ameren Illinois at 1-800-755-5000 immediately.

Prepaid cards should not be used to avoid service disconnection; legitimate utility companies do not dictate specific methods of bill payment and offer multiple options including online payments, phone transactions, electronic checks, mail-in payments, or in-person locations.

For further details and updates on scams, visit Ameren.com/stop-scams and follow Ameren's social media channels. Customers can also manage their accounts online at Ameren.com for real-time status updates.