Ameren warns of online scam targeting Missouri customers

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Ameren wants customers in Missouri and Illinois to be aware of fake website listings that mimic the utility's site.

In a news release, the company warns there are a growing number of fraudulent website listings impersonating Ameren that include fake contact information, such as emails and phone numbers.

The scam works when people use a search engine to find Ameren's contact information. There may be several results that look official but are fake website listings. The release said once a customer clicks on a fake link or calls a fake phone number, they are tricked into thinking they're speaking with an Ameren representative.

Scammers then ask for account information and often ask the customer to make an immediate payment through a cash payment app.

Ameren's corporate security supervisor, Maria Gomez, said the scam is happening most often when people are looking up Ameren on their phone and when people are trying to start or stop service.

"They're already not totally familiar with Ameren and its numbers and things like that, so they look that up online and most of these scams have been starting or stopping service," Gomez said.

Gomez said there have been about 30 reports of this happening to customers in Missouri and Illinois. She said Ameren first began noticing the scam around five or six weeks ago.

Ameren said people should not use a search engine to find company information, but instead go directly to Ameren.com or call 1-800-552-7583.

If customers are unsure if the site they are looking at is legitimate, Ameren has a few red flags to be aware of:

• Be aware of false urgency. Ameren will never require immediate payment.
• Be aware of websites that have misspelled words or web address links that don't look official.
• Never pay using a prepaid card, Zelle, Cash App or Venmo. Ameren customers can pay online, by phone, mail or in-person.

"We don't tell people how to pay. We also don't tell them 'Pay now or we have a truck a block away that's getting ready to cut you off,'" Gomez said. "It's not like that."

Gomez said Ameren customers will get several chances to pay before their energy is cut off, and the utility company will contact its customers via letters and emails.

If someone believes they are speaking with a fake Ameren employee, they are encouraged to end the conversation and call 1-800-552-7583 to report it. If a customer has given money to a scammer or feels unsafe, they should call their local police department and their bank.

Gomez said this scam is not just targeting Ameren. She said utility companies across the U.S. are reporting the same type of scams, with federal authorities saying the scammers are often overseas.