Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul encourages consumers to beware of scammers pretending to be from a utility company and threatening to shut off heat if they do not receive a payment.

 “As the temperatures dip below freezing and snow accumulates, scammers turn up the heat by using urgency and threats of turning off your utilities to try to get your money or personal information,” Raoul said. “Be wary of surprise or unusual contact from someone claiming to be from your utility company, and remember that your utility company will never come to your home to collect payment.”

 Raoul said that if consumers are visited by someone purporting to represent their utility company, they should ask to see a company identification card, close the door and call their utility company at the official phone number, which the consumers should verify independently, to ask if someone has been sent to their home.

Attorney General Raoul offers the following tips for consumers worried about utility scams:

• Pause: When someone contacts you claiming to be from your utility company and threatens to cut off service if you don’t pay them immediately, pause before you take Confirm the facts by logging into your online account through the company’s official website or by calling the company at the phone number listed on the official website or on an old bill.
• Protect your information: Never give out private information, like your Social Security number, usernames or passwords, on a phone call, email, text message or a pop-up chat box.
• Pay attention: Never click on links that were sent to your phone or email from unfamiliar sources.
• Pay carefully: Remember that your utility company will never ask you to make a payment using cryptocurrency, gift cards, or by wire transfer or peer-to-peer apps, like Zelle or Venmo.

 Raoul reminds consumers that there are requirements in Illinois that limit utilities from disconnecting customers during colder months. From Dec. 1 to March 31, the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Winter Weather Rules limit utility companies’ ability to disconnect consumers’ residential heating sources, whether electric or gas. Someone’s primary source of heat also cannot be disconnected on any day when temperatures are forecasted to be at or below 32 F, and on any day preceding holidays and weekends when the temperature is expected to drop to freezing. On warmer winter days there are also restrictions on disconnecting heating utilities for nonpayment. Consumers who believe their heat was improperly shut off can contact the Illinois Commerce Commission online or by calling 1-800-524-0795.

There are also state and local protections for renters. From Oct. 1 to May 31, Illinois requires landlords to provide heat for renters when the outside temperature falls below 55 F. Additionally, units must be heated to at least 68 F between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and to at least 62 F between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Some cities, like Chicago, may have their own heat ordinances.

Attorney General Raoul encourages consumers who have fallen behind on their utility bills to contact their utility company to ask about payment plans or energy assistance programs for low-income households. The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity also provides information on how to apply for utility bill assistance.

Attorney General Raoul also encourages those who believe they have been victims of a utility scam to file a complaint on the Attorney General’s website or by calling the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotlines:

1-800-386-5438 (Chicago)
1-800-243-0618 (Springfield)
1-800-243-0607 (Carbondale)
1-866-310-8398 (Spanish-language hotline)