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"Sadly, many people find themselves the targets of attempts to con them out of their money, often by pretending to represent trusted companies such as Consumers Energy," said Phil Catlett, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Western Michigan. "People should know that resources are available, such as a scam tracker that we offer online, to help them make safe decisions, and to put these criminals out of business." Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Energy scam payments Michigan counties with the most reports this year of phone scammers pretending to be from Consumers Energy: - GENESEE – 149 calls, $15,883 paid
- KENT – 124 calls, $7,061 paid
- KALAMAZOO – 94 calls, $16,228 paid
- INGHAM – 76 calls, $9,161 paid
- JACKSON – 50 calls, $1,239 paid
- SAGINAW – 45 calls, $3,900 paid
- OTTAWA – 37 calls, $460 paid
- LENAWEE – 34 calls, $2,007 paid
- ALLEGAN – 33 calls, $1,750 paid
- BAY – 32 calls, $3,364 paid
*as of Nov. 6 Media toolkit WAYS TO PAY: Consumers Energy does not demand payment via a prepaid card, a preferred method of many scammers. Customers can pay bills in the following ways: - Over a secure Internet site
- Via U.S. mail
- In person at an authorized pay agent location
- By Visa, MasterCard or eCheck using an authorized Consumers Energy EasyPay agent
Learn more: www.ConsumersEnergy.com/waystopay LEARN MORE: People can arm themselves with information through the following resources: Media Contacts: Consumers Energy: Brian Wheeler, 517-740-1545, or Debra Dodd, 517-545-8711 Michigan State Police: Sierra Medrano, 517-241-0977 For more information about Consumers Energy, go to www.ConsumersEnergy.com. Check out Consumers Energy on Social MediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/consumersenergy Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/consumersenergy/ To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/michigan-state-police-consumers-energy-business-leaders-tell-public-protect-yourself-from-telephone-fraud-300180902.html
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