AKRON, Ohio, June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: [ FE ]) is warning customers of its 10 electric distribution companies to be wary of bogus claims that President Obama will help pay utility bills for residential customers through a special federal program.

Reported in numerous states, the scam involves customers being asked to provide sensitive information, such as social security numbers, which presents an identity-theft risk. The scammers then supply customers with a phony bank routing number to pay their bills. However, no government dollars are applied to customer accounts and the full balance remains due.

Scam victims have been recruited by individuals going door-to-door, making phone calls, posting fliers and using email, text-messaging and social media. FirstEnergy encourages its customers to be vigilant at all times and to notify local police if they believe they are a victim of this fraudulent scheme.

FirstEnergy offers these tips to help safeguard its customers from scams:

FirstEnergy utility employees do not ask for sensitive information such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, etc.
Customers should only use methods authorized by FirstEnergy to pay their electric bills
Don't allow persons claiming to be utility employees into your home without checking for proper identification
FirstEnergy utility employees always carry photo identification, and many of our field employees wear uniforms and drive clearly marked company vehicles
FirstEnergy utility employees typically visit a home only in response to a service request. If no one scheduled an appointment, do not allow the person through the door

To verify the authenticity of anyone claiming to be a FirstEnergy utility employee, or for any other concerns, please phone our FirstEnergy operating company Contact Centers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the following numbers: Ohio Edison, 1-800-633-4766; The Illuminating Company, 1-800-589-3101; Toledo Edison, 1-800-447-3333; Met-Ed, 1-800-545-7741; Penelec, 1-800-545-7741; Penn Power, 1-800-720-3600; West Penn Power, 1-800-686-0021; Jersey Central Power & Light, 1-800-662-3115; Mon Power, 1-800-686-0022; and Potomac Edison, 1-800-686-0011.

To learn more about FirstEnergy visit [ www.firstenergycorp.com ].

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies comprise one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems. Its diverse generating fleet features non-emitting nuclear, scrubbed baseload coal, natural gas, and pumped-storage hydro and other renewables, and has a total generating capacity of nearly 23,000 megawatts.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

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FirstEnergy Warns Customers of Nationwide Utility Scam

FirstEnergy Warns Customers of Nationwide Utility Scam

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