Editor's note:
Signal Akron is not using Ella’s full identity to protect her privacy.
On a sunny day in May, Kenmore resident Ella was working in the garden in her front yard when a door-to-door salesperson approached her. The man told her that by signing with his company, she could lower her electricity bill.
Ella, a first-time homeowner, moved into her home the previous December and was curious about his proposal, although she “felt a little bit of red flags.”
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The salesman asked to see Ella’s electricity bill. After taking a look, he offered to immediately sign her up for a lower rate. He clicked through Ella’s new contract on an iPad and had her sign and initial it — which she did without reading it.
Ella thought the contract was “flexible” and came with a “low commitment,” so she didn’t overthink it.
“I didn’t think there was anything locking me in,” she said.
A few weeks later, Ella’s husband saw some Reddit posts about the company, so she checked her account. She found she was locked into a three-year contract with a rate of $7.19 per unit for her electricity. Her previous rate was around $3 per unit, less than half what the new company was charging her.
Even worse, a daily “customer fee” of about a dollar a day was added on top, and she had been signed up for gas services through the company as well.
Avoid giving out personal information
Ella appeared to be left with two choices: stay locked in at a higher rate or pay a cancellation fee of $532.50. After doing some additional research online, Ella found she could file a formal complaint with the company and sign back on with her initial providers, Ohio Edison and Enbridge Gas Ohio, formerly Dominion, free of charge.
Ella called the company and said the agent did not explain the contract in full and she was unaware of the cancellation fee when signing up. It gave her the option to file a complaint against the agent who visited her home — pending its outcome, they would wipe her cancellation fees.
A week later, Ella’s fees were waived and she was able to return to her original providers.
Looking back on her interaction with the company representative, Ella said she has a better understanding now of the signs of a scam, like the salesperson asking for personal information like her utility bill and pushing her to sign without taking time to review the contract.
“It’s a situation where you’re talking to a person and you get this level of pressure, whereas, like, if you were reading that online, you’d probably never sign up for something like that,” Ella said.
When in doubt, take time to review options
“If it sounds too good to be true, it is,” said Shannon Siegferth, the president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Akron. “Before you were to give somebody — especially a stranger — a large sum of money, take a minute, take a breath, call a friend, call your mom.”
While people in Summit County are losing more money to scams this year, the loss is decreasing in Akron, Siegferth said. Summit County reported losses in 2023 that totaled $96,000; by August, this year’s total was $72,000. The City of Akron reported $53,000 lost to scams in 2023, Siegferth said. This year’s end-of-August total was $19,000.
In Akron, government scams are the biggest problem
The BBB is a nonprofit organization that works to ensure transparency between consumers and businesses. The BBB of Akron serves Ashland, Richland, Medina, Portage, Summit and Wayne counties.
Akron residents tend not to fall for travel scams, Siegferth said, but government scams (see the list below of common scams) — people posing as government officials in an attempt to collect money or personal information — are big hitters in the city.
These scams may come in the form of texts, email or printed letters, Siegferth said. In some cases, like Ella’s, the scammers are approaching residents at their home.
“It just takes that sense of security away from Akronites,” Siegferth said.
When a solicitor approaches the door, asking them for proper identification is key, Siegferth said. She recommends asking to see their ID and making sure the picture matches their face, as well as looking for any company logos on their clothing.
Siegferth said that residents can always ask for time to consider what a solicitor is proposing. She recommended asking to call and confirm with the company at a later time. In addition to confirming directly with the company, consumers can check the BBB scam tracker to see what others have reported about it.
“I think that it’s really important to know that you’re not alone,” Siegferth said.
And in Ohio, if consumers do sign a contract with a door-to-door salesperson, the Home Solicitation Sales Act offers the protection of a three-day “cooling-off” period, during which they can cancel a contract and receive a refund. It covers any sale above $25 that takes place outside a seller’s normal place of business, like a consumer’s home or a fair booth.
Quick tips for scam protection
The Federal Trade Commission and the BBB recommend consumers resist the pressure to act immediately when engaging with a potential scam. If you do come across a scam, you can report it to the FTC or BBB.
Additional tips include:
- Never share personal or financial information with people whose contact is unsolicited.
- Don’t share personal information in writing because it could end up in the wrong hands.
- Don’t send gift cards or wire transfers as a form of payment to people you do not know.
- Don’t click on hyperlinks in unsolicited emails.
- Ask solicitors for proper identification.
- Research businesses online before making a decision. The BBB offers a business accreditation directory that can be useful as well.
- Look up existing scams using the BBB scam tracker.
Four signs that it’s a scam
According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers may:
- Pretend to be from an organization you know, such as a government agency, utility company or charity.
- Say that there is a problem with an account or a prize to be collected.
- Attempt to pressure you into acting immediately.
- Tell you to pay in a specific way, such as a gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or check.