Ohio Edison Warns Customers about Door-to-Door Sales Fraud

AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio Edison, a FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) utility, is alerting its customers about recent reports of door-to-door salespeople posing as company employees.

Numerous reports have been received in north and central Ohio of individuals knocking on customers' doors, promising savings on electricity bills.  It also has been reported that these sales people may ask to see the customers' electric or other utility bills.

"Customers should know that Ohio Edison and FirstEnergy are not engaged in any door-to-door sales campaigns," said Randy Frame, regional president of Ohio Edison.  "In some cases, we've heard the sales people have been quite aggressive.  We urge our customers to remain vigilant before they admit any person to their residence, release any personal information or sign anything presented by an unsolicited visitor."

All Ohio Edison and FirstEnergy employees and contractors will have company uniforms and company-issued photo identification with them.  Customers who have doubts about a visitor claiming to represent Ohio Edison or FirstEnergy, or about the information they are being asked to provide, should call Ohio Edison at 1-800-633-4766 for verification.  If the visitor acts suspiciously, customers should contact their local police department to report it.

Ohio Edison serves more than 1 million customers in Ohio.  Follow Ohio Edison on Twitter @OhioEdison.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence.  Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York.  Its generation subsidiaries control more than 20,000 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, hydro, pumped-storage hydro and other renewables.  Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp. 

www.firstenergycorp.com

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.