Beware of phone scammers claiming they’re ComEd reps looking for money, warn Sycamore police

SYCAMORE – Sycamore police are warning of a scam making its rounds that includes phone callers pretending to be ComEd representatives claiming immediate phone payment for delinquent account holders.

Police said in a Dec. 23 social media post that they had received multiple reports from residents saying they’d been targeted by the scam.

Police said residents should always avoid sharing any personal information over the phone.

“The callers are attempting to obtain account information and threatening that power will be shut off/disconnected if immediate payment is not made,” Sycamore police wrote.

Police said representatives of utility companies such as ComEd will never ask for immediate payments via phone requiring prepaid gift cards, third party banking apps or cryptocurrency.

“Imposters can spoof phone numbers on caller-ID to make it appear they are calling from ComEd,” police wrote.

Authorities said if residents aren’t sure whether a caller is actually a ComEd employee, they should check first. Police are urging community members who might receive such a call to hang up, call 1-800-EDISON-1 by actually dialing the number on your phone, and determine the initial caller’s validity.

Sycamore police said if anyone believes they may have fallen victim to this or a similar scam, call the department at 815-895-2123 to help mitigate issues.

More information about ComEd imposters can be found at www.comed.com/MyAccount/CustomerSupport/Pages/ImpostersScams.