The City of Independence joins cities across the nation in warning residents about a swiftly spreading identity theft scam.

This scam works by falsely claiming the Obama administration has a program to help pay utility bills. Individuals may receive an automated telephone call, a door-to-door visit or online solicitation about the fake program and encourage enrollment. The scammers provide fraudulent bank routing information for utility customers to use in making payments, and then ask for social security numbers and other personal information.

While Independence Utilities Customer Service reports no inquiries from their customers about this alleged program, thousands of people across the country have been duped into revealing personal information.

Anyone who receives such a call should not answer any of the questions and instead should contact the Independence Police Department at 816-325-7330.