As the holiday season approaches, ComEd reminds customers to be on the lookout for imposters trying to steal from them using energy-related scams.

ComEd regularly receives reports of scammers who pose as ComEd employees to take customers’ money. Scammers either show up at homes or small businesses, or call using a number that appears to be a ComEd phone number. They may threaten to turn off a customer’s service and ask them to make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card. Sometimes they ask victims to call them back at a different phone number and provide personal information.

“We see an unsettling number of scams, including imposters who call and take advantage of unsuspecting ComEd customers by taking money or financial information,” said Nichole Owens, ComEd vice president of customer channels. “We are committed to informing our customers of how to protect themselves from fraudulent activity that could impact their service or accounts, especially during the holidays when many people are focused on family and social commitments.”

Here are some tips to help identify scams:

  1. ComEd will never come to a customer’s home or business to:
    • Demand a payment.
    • Ask for immediate payment with a prepaid cash card.
    • Ask for your ComEd account number or other personal information, such as a driver’s license number.
  2. ComEd will never call a customer to:
    • Ask for their account number.
    • Ask for personal information such as their Social Security number or bank information.
    • Ask them to make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card.
  3. To identify an actual ComEd employee, remember:
    • All ComEd field employees wear a uniform with the ComEd logo, including shirt and safety vest.
    • ComEd employees visibly display a company ID badge with the ComEd logo and employee’s name.
    • Look for 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-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661) before engaging them.

ComEd urges anyone who believes he or she has been a target or victim of a phone scam to contact the Illinois Attorney General’s office toll free at 1-800-386-5438 (TTY 1-800-964-3013) or visit the Illinois Attorney General’s web site at IllinoisAttorneyGeneral.gov and click on the link “Protecting Consumers.”

To learn more, visit ComEd.com/ScamAlert.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.