New phone scam posing as Ameren targets Mid-Missouri business
Another phone scam hit Mid-Missouri this week. This time, it targets businesses.
Arris’ Bistro in Jefferson City received two calls in the last six months from someone claiming to be from Ameren. The most recent call happened this week, saying if the business didn’t pay nearly $1,500 in overdue bills, they would cut off its utilities.
Waki Houston, a manger at Arris’ Bistro, kept the number because he knew the person calling was a fraud. That’s because of the way the scammer asked the business to pay up.
On Saturday, ABC 17 called that number back where two people named Anthony Battle and Davis Williams, who claimed to work with Ameren, talked us through how to make a $987.58 payment using a Green Dot Money Pak card.
ABC 17 has covered multiple phone scams throughout Mid-Missouri. In the majority of those cases, the person asking for any kind of payment will want it through re-loadable Green Dot Money Pak cards. They will ask you load cash on the card and disclose the serial numbers over the phone to steal your money.
Since last week’s call, Houston told ABC 17 they have not heard back from the business and have filed a report with the Better Business Bureau.
The number used in the scam is 314-450-1632. It does use a St. Louis area code, but the number does not belong to Ameren.
If you believe you have been a victim of this scam, you’re asked to call the Attorney General’s Office.
