Door-to-Door Solicitors Asking for Electric Bills Have Residents Wondering About a Scam

Many residents in Effingham and the surrounding area have reported door to door solicitors that are asking, in some cases they say demanding, to see their electric bill. Many of those are asking if it's a scam, and several feel very uneasy after they told us they "fell for it".

"It" is the sales pitch by Liberty Power, who the Effingham Police Department tells us is an approved Effingham-area solicitor that has been checked out. Liberty Power is selling its services as an Alternative Energy Provider. This service was approved by voters in a previous election, and allows you to change your energy provider from Ameren, to another company. Technically, Ameren would still be providing your electric service, but the Alternative Energy Provider would be billing you, at what is often advertised as a much lower rate.

You may remember seeing something in the mail from another one of these Alternative Providers, Direct Energy. This company sent many mass-mailings to the Effingham area after voters approved the change.

One resident told us that the salesperson said according to the last bill from Ameren, she was not getting "green, clean energy" from Ameren, and that she would get that by switching to Liberty Power. The documentation she got said, "Liberty Power is the largest independent retail electricity supplier in the U.S. Liberty Power is the largest Hispanic-owned energy company in the U.S". Residents who had salespeople from Liberty Power have been commenting on our Facebook page about the visits they received and the sales tactics the company is using, including one listener who said, "I had a girl come with an accent, she was very rude telling me my electric was polluting the air".

The Effingham Police Department told us that while they are approved to solicit, "you do not have to give them any information" if you don't want their service. They're also not to be soliciting at late hours.