ST. CHARLES – An eastside St. Charles restaurant reported a scam on Monday, in which a caller said he was from ComEd and would shut power to the business if a bill wasn't paid immediately, according to a news release issued by the St. Charles Police Department.

The restaurant, a sub and pizza establishment in the 2700 block of East Main Street, reported the incident to police. The victim told police he received a call from a man who identified himself as "Steve Johnson," who said the business owed $489.86 for electricity, or power would be turned off at 12:15 p.m. The victim was instructed to go to a Walgreens store and purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak card in the exact amount. A short time later, another man called the victim and said he was from ComEd and was on his way to turn off the power.

The victim got the card, and the first man called back and was given the number of the card. The caller said he would cancel the shutoff order to the business. A short time later, the victim verified that his account was current, and he called the police to report the incident.

City of St. Charles officials remind residents and business owners that, if an account is in disconnect status, no utility payments are taken over the phone, online or through MoneyPak cards. A courtesy call would be made by city personnel over the phone, but payment would be accepted only at the office in City Hall.

Police said follow-up investigation into the incident is continuing.