Ameren Warns of Imposters, Scams
By: Sophie Nielsen-Kolding WMBD/WYZZ TV
Updated: November 9, 2012
PEORIA- Ameren Illinois is warning its customers of possible scams.
It said in a press release that customers are complaining about people coming the their doors pretending to be Ameren representatives. Dozens of our viewers reported the same thing, saying they were asked for personal information like account numbers and Social Security numbers.
Chris Dearing said he was solicited at his house in Peoria Heights.
"A gentleman approached our door with some paperwork claiming that he was from another power company and that they could offer me a lower rate by just signing up with them. And pretty much hand it all over to them and that it would reflect only the electricity bill not the gas rate on the CILCO bill," Dearing said.
He said he noticed a couple red flags.
"He didn't have any explanation on how it all worked and he couldn't tell us how it would save us money. So basically he was pretty uninformed he just wanted us to sign up for it right now," Dearing said.
"No matter who comes to your door, you should not give any personal information to that person," said Jessica Tharp from the Better Business Bureau.
Tharp said people need to be careful who they trust.
"If you think it is a representative of a legitimate company you need to let them wait outside while you call and verify," Tharp said.
Dearing said there was no way for him to do that.
"He had no ID with him, actually he had no badge, he didn't even look like he was from a company," Dearing said.
Dearing said no one on the customer service number ever picked up. Tharp said some imposters will even try to scare you out of your house.
"If they're claiming that you need to evacuate your home because there's a gas leak or something like that you need to call the police first because they may be planning a robbery of your home or something more dangerous, you just can't anticipate what the plan is," Tharp said.
Tharp said people can always report suspicious companies to the Better Business Bureau (309) 688-3741. People can also report to the Illinois Commerce Commission at 1-800-524-0795.
There are some legitimate companies who solicit door to door. The Better Business Bureau says to make sure you verify who they are before providing personal information.
It said in a press release that customers are complaining about people coming the their doors pretending to be Ameren representatives. Dozens of our viewers reported the same thing, saying they were asked for personal information like account numbers and Social Security numbers.
Chris Dearing said he was solicited at his house in Peoria Heights.
"A gentleman approached our door with some paperwork claiming that he was from another power company and that they could offer me a lower rate by just signing up with them. And pretty much hand it all over to them and that it would reflect only the electricity bill not the gas rate on the CILCO bill," Dearing said.
He said he noticed a couple red flags.
"He didn't have any explanation on how it all worked and he couldn't tell us how it would save us money. So basically he was pretty uninformed he just wanted us to sign up for it right now," Dearing said.
"No matter who comes to your door, you should not give any personal information to that person," said Jessica Tharp from the Better Business Bureau.
Tharp said people need to be careful who they trust.
"If you think it is a representative of a legitimate company you need to let them wait outside while you call and verify," Tharp said.
Dearing said there was no way for him to do that.
"He had no ID with him, actually he had no badge, he didn't even look like he was from a company," Dearing said.
Dearing said no one on the customer service number ever picked up. Tharp said some imposters will even try to scare you out of your house.
"If they're claiming that you need to evacuate your home because there's a gas leak or something like that you need to call the police first because they may be planning a robbery of your home or something more dangerous, you just can't anticipate what the plan is," Tharp said.
Tharp said people can always report suspicious companies to the Better Business Bureau (309) 688-3741. People can also report to the Illinois Commerce Commission at 1-800-524-0795.
There are some legitimate companies who solicit door to door. The Better Business Bureau says to make sure you verify who they are before providing personal information.
