Decatur, IL (WAND) – Ameren Illinois is reminding customers during the upcoming holiday season to be on the lookout for utility scammers.

Abby Helm, a community relations executive with the company, told WAND News, “It’s a prevalent time of year to fall for utility scams.”

Helm said the easiest way to spot a scam is by the urgency with which they need money or personal information.

“Really, it’s a sense of urgency,” Helm said. “It’s all about paying your bill right now or being disconnected, wanting account information. All of those things should be red flags when it comes to utility scams.”

These scammers could knock on your door, give you a phone call, or send you an email, threatening to cut off your power if you do not cooperate quickly.

“If you’re getting a weird call like ‘We need payment within 45 minutes or your power is being disconnected,’ or ‘We need your account information to verify your Ameren bill,’ or ‘We need your social security number and date of birth,’ all of those should be red flags.” Helm said. “Those are things we are not going to call customers about.”

Ameren estimates people lose about $500 on average to utility scams.

If you do get a call or knock on the door that seems legitimate, you can always call Ameren at 1-800-755-5000 to double-check.