Aurora police: Scammers posing as ComEd target businesses

Scam artists posing as ComEd employees have stolen money from at least two Aurora business owners and unsuccessfully tried the ruse on others, police said Thursday.

The thieves used the same approach in each case, calling victims by phone, telling them they owe thousands of dollars to ComEd and threatening to turn off their power unless they pay immediately with prepaid cards or online money orders.

Police said they investigated similar scams, most of which target small businesses, two years ago.

Both cases this time were reported on April 8 by businesses on the city's far east side. The total loss was almost $2,000.

Three days later, the thieves tried a similar scam on another business, but in that case the employee immediately called ComEd and was told it was a fraud.

Police say ComEd and other utilities do not require immediate payment of accounts in such fashion. Anyone receiving similar calls should hang up and contact the utility directly. ComEd's phone number is 1-800-334-7661.

Anyone who has been scammed can call the Illinois attorney general's office at 1-800-386-5438 or reach it online at www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.