ComEd Warns Customers of Scammers Demanding Payment Following String of High Temperatures

Energy company offers tips to help identify scams, as well as programs to help manage energy bills

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As temperatures rise and the use of fans and air conditioners increases, ComEd warns customers of bad actors eager to use the prospect of higher electric bills to scam individuals out of money.

Following extreme weather events, including the recent string of days where temperatures reached 85^○F or higher, scammers use the occasion to reach out to ComEd customers – by text and phone call – falsely claim to be a ComEd employee and threaten disconnection unless immediate payment is made.

“ComEd will never contact customers demanding immediate payment under the threat of disconnection,” said Melissa Washington, ComEd’s chief customer officer and senior vice president of customer operations. “During extreme weather events, when electricity use may be high, ComEd has programs to help customers manage their energy use to keep bills low. We also have a wide range of bill-assistance programs should high energy use create a financial hardship.”

Tips to Help Identify Scams

• ComEd will never call or visit your home or business and demand immediate payment, especially with a prepaid cash card, cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, third-party payment app like Cash App, QuickPay, Venmo or Zelle, or through a QR code.
• ComEd will not ask for your ComEd account number unless you contact us first to enroll in a ComEd program or service.
• If you suspect a text, email or in-person visit is a scam, call ComEd at 800-EDISON1 (800-334-7661), or a trusted number, such as the one on your electric bill.
• If approached by a person identifying themselves as a ComEd employee, know that all ComEd field employees wear a uniform with the blue ComEd logo and visibly display a company ID badge with the logo and employee’s first name. ComEd underwent a logo change in 2022, so you may continue to see the red ComEd logo on uniforms, badges and vehicles until it is phased out.

“With the summer heat, scammers often try to take advantage of extreme temperatures and threaten businesses and people with cutting their power off. This is part of a bigger problem we call imposter scams and know that ComEd will never call you threatening a cut-off,” said Steve Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau. “Another tip-off to the rip-off is anyone demanding immediate payment, and often requesting funds using unconventional forms like wire transfers or gift cards. We advise you to hang up the phone and contact the company directly.”

ComEd Bill-Assistance Options

Scammers often find success with individuals and businesses that may be behind in their bills and pressure them into sending immediate payment. For anyone facing difficulty paying their electric bill, ComEd offers a number of payment assistance programs to help customers avoid late notices and disconnection, including grants, deferred payment plans and energy-saving tips. For information, visit ComEd.com/PaymentAssistance or call 800-EDISON1 (800-334-7661) Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

To make it easier for customers to sort through ComEd’s payment assistance, as well as energy-efficiency programs that can help customers manage future energy costs, ComEd offers its Smart Assistance Manager (SAM), an online self-service tool that can match customers with payment-assistance programs and energy-efficiency offerings to help them manage their electric bills now and into the future.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 250 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.