Columbia officials warns residents of scammers pretending to be with city’s Utility Customer Service

Officials with the city are warning residents there are scammers pretending to be with the City of Columbia Utility Customer Service and AmerenUE who are targeting both residents and businesses.

City officials said the scammers are calling victims saying their utilities will be disconnected if the victim does not provide payment over the phone.

The scammers are providing “claim numbers” and “employee identification numbers,” officials said.

Phone numbers that have been associated with this scam are 1-800 numbers so far, officials said.

Officials with the city and AmerenUE remind residents they do not telephone citizens asking for payment with debit, credit or green dot cards.

Officials say to never give out personal information to unfamiliar companies or people. Make a phone call to AmerenUE or the city to verify the information, officials said.

Officials ask if anyone has information about a fraud to report it to law enforcement or the city of Columbia at (573) 874-7380.