Aurora police are investigating multiple thefts by people posing as ComEd employees telling business owners their power will be shut off unless they immediately pay supposed past-due accounts.
The scammers have been successful in at least two reported instances, and several people have called police to report similar ruses they didn’t fall for, according to a police department news release.
Each theft has followed the same basic premise, according to police: Victims are contacted by phone and told they owe thousands of dollars to the utility company, which will shut off their power unless the caller receives payment immediately. Callers tell victims they must pay the “balance” with prepaid cards or electronic money orders.
Aurora police have investigated several incidents of similar scams since 2014. This time around, they seem to be targeting smaller businesses, police say.
On April 8, a person calling told a pet store in Aurora the business was behind on its electrical payments and their power would be shut off within 30 minutes unless the employee paid up. As instructed by the caller, the employee bought prepaid money cards and called back to pay with the card numbers, according to police.
The next day, a person who sounded like the same man called from the same number to tell her he had made a mistake and she’d be refunded the money from the prepaid cards, but that she actually owed even more money than what she’d already paid to bring the bill current. The employee then contacted a supervisor, who Googled the phone number and found it was associated with similar frauds nationwide.
Other businesses targeted included a dental facility in Aurora. A man called from the same number that called the pet store attempting the same scam. The employee who took the call became suspicious, contacted ComEd, and learned it was a fraud, according to police.
Aurora police say these frauds are difficult to investigate and are often conducted from outside the U.S.
Police remind people that ComEd and other utility companies do not require immediate payment of accounts using the methods of the scammers. Anyone who receives similar calls should hang up and contact the utility company directly, police say. ComEd’s phone number is 800-334-7661. People who have been scammed can also contact the Illinois Attorney General’s Office at 800-386-5438 or www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.
