Utility bill scam hits Lafayette

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Thousands have already fallen for the scam that leads people to think the Obama administration will pay off utility bills up to $1,000.00.

One local family that fell for the scam said they thought it was a miracle but now paying back all those bills is a nightmare.

 "It's just all a game to somebody, you know. We're talking about our lives, our family, our home, our kids and that's the hardest part for me," Amy Turner said.

Amy Turner and her husband Frank said they heard about an Obama Administration grant that was helping people pay their utility bills from a close family friend.

Turner said they were given a routing number and said they were told the account number to use was on the back of their social security cards. Turner said they paid all their bills and it seemed like a miracle.

"When my husband called and used the routing and account numbers, I would have thought if they didn't coincide in some way that it would be impossible to get a confirmation number and not only that but to call back and ask what your balance is and they say your balance is zero," Turner said.

One of those companies was Tipmont REMC in Tippecanoe County. Tipmont REMC CEO Tim McCarthy said this is the first case of the scam he's seen and all return check fees were waived for this family.

Turner said they found out the Obama grant, as they called it, was a scam from an article about the routing number they'd been using. Turner said she wants everyone to know that even skeptics sometimes fall victim to scams.

"I just hope it doesn't happen to anyone else. That's my thing, I just feel like I was made a fool of," Turner said.

Turner and her husband now have the burden of paying all their bills that they thought were paid off.

Turner said she lives by the motto 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is' but says the convincing confirmation of zero balances for their bills fooled her this time.

Turner said the routing number she used was 124085024.