Don’t Get Tricked! ComEd Reminds Customers to Beware of Scammers and Frauds this Halloween Season

Treat yourself with these helpful tips to avoid tricksters

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–During the season when many people dress up in costumes for fun
activities, ComEd is reminding the public to beware of
unwelcomed solicitations by tricksters who pose as utility workers and
usually target customers through door-to-door visits and phone calls.

With the door-to-door scams, someone impersonating a utility worker will
visit customers’ homes looking to get personal and/or account
information, and in some cases enter into the customer’s home.
Variations of the phone scam include stories that the customer’s billing
cycle has changed and payment is needed immediately; the account is past
due and immediate payment is required to avoid disconnection of service;
or that the customer’s previous payments were not accepted or processed.
In those cases, the scammers instruct customers to buy a prepaid credit
card and direct them to call back with the personal identification
number (PIN).

“During a season where we’re accustomed to seeing people in costumes,
ComEd cares about the safety of our customers and we want to raise
awareness of these door-to-door scam artists who try to unfairly target
people all year long,” said Fidel Marquez, senior vice president of
Governmental and External Affairs, ComEd. “We want our customers to be
informed and avoid becoming victims to this type of scam. If customers
are ever unsure about the authenticity of a utility worker at their door
or over the phone, they should contact ComEd or the police immediately.”

ComEd also wants to remind customers that representatives from the
company always carry proper identification and never ask customers for
cash or personal financial information.

Anyone who believes he or she has been a target of a phone scam is urged
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 www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov
and click on the link “Protecting Consumers.”

Customers can avoid being scammed by taking a few precautions:

• Never provide social security or personal information to anyone
  initiating contact with you claiming to be a utility representative or
  requesting you to send money to another person or entity other than
  your local utility providers.
• Always ask to see a company photo ID before allowing any utility
  worker into your home or business.
• When in doubt, check it out. Be skeptical of individuals wearing
  clothing with old or defaced company logos. If you have any doubts,
  ask to see a company photo ID.
• Never make payment for services to anyone coming to the door.
• If customers ever have concerns about the status of their account,
  they can contact ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1

About ComEd

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon
Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy
provider, with approximately 7.8 million customers. ComEd provides
service to approximately 3.8 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
and YouTube.

Contacts

ComEd Media Relations
(312) 394-3500