CHICAGO – COMED customers have lost nearly $30,000 in mobile payment app scams since January 2022.
Over 240 incidents have occurred and been reported to Comed this year involving a variety of networks including Cash App, QuickPay, Venmo, and Zelle.
“The ease of using mobile pay apps has made the process of scamming customers more efficient for imposters,” said Melissa Washington, ComEd’s chief customer officer and senior vice president of customer operations. “As scammers alter their schemes, ComEd will be there to alert customers of the latest attempts to con them out of money and personal information.”
“Scammers keep adding new tools like payment apps to take advantage of unsuspecting victims,” said Steve J. Bernas, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois. “Along with impersonating utility representatives, there are fake calls and emails from the IRS, Social Security, and other government officials demanding immediate payments. A lot of scams the BBB sees are based on unconventional payment methods. That is the tip-off to the rip-off. Never give out personal information or send money until you have contacted the company directly to check your account status.”
Anyone who believes they’ve been a victim of such an incident is urged to contact COMED at 1-800-334-7661.
