Utility: Scam seeks Social Security numbers

Ameren is reissuing an alert that con artists are once again looking to scam customers in an effort to illegally obtain Social Security numbers.

The scam is nearly identical to one that occurred in mid-May.

The Better Business Bureau reports this scam has affected utility customers in several states.

According to reports, the scam claims President Barack Obama is applying payments or credits of up to $1,500 to the customer's utility bill. The statement is false.

The scam calls for customers to make a payment "today" by using a bank routing number supplied by the scammers, and the number appearing on the back of their Social Security cards as the bank account number.

Ameren officials said some scammers have visited customers in person, posted fliers and used social media and texting to send this false message.