Throwback Scam Targets Illinois—What You Need to Know

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office made a social media post alerting residents to a new way scammers are trying to get at your assets. The perps are posing as Ameren employees.

Things to be aware of

One scammer contacts the homeowner about checking backyard for limb issues around lines, and while the homeowner is distracted in the backyard with scammer #1, scammer #2 is in the house burglarizing it.

The X's and O's of the Misdirection move

Police remind you to be vigilant about letting people into your house, and Ameren has stated that their employees will be wearing an Ameren uniform, will carry legit ID, and will be driving an Ameren marked utility truck.

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Cynically, we practically have to screen anyone we don’t know before engaging with them as scammers are on the daily creating new ways to steal from us. These days scammers usually will use your phone or computer to trick you out of important info or money. Burglarizing homes, that’s an old school move.

While this has occurred in Madison county, it isn’t inconceivable that the Ameren impersonators will move on to an adjacent county or a completely different area of Illinois where they believe their tactics will catch people off guard (especially after a storm that causes wind damage). This seems like an overly obvious tactic, but it has worked on homeowners recently.