KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A KCTV5 News investigation reveals a local phone scam targeting residents all over the metro.

The phone calls are coming into homes all over the metro and the crooks are getting very good at trying to scam residents out of their money. Both the city of Kansas City and a local police department sent out news releases, warning that if you're not careful, it could cost you your good credit.

Carol Glass has lived in her Kansas City home for 50 years.. She said she goes to great lengths to protect it. Glass has an alarm system and a "Beware Of Dog" to warn crooks to stay away.

But, she said that a few weeks ago, crooks got in anyway, and they used her phone to do it.

"She said that we forgot to sign our check, and would we be so kind to give us our charge card number and they would be happy to take this because we hadn't signed the check and this way there's no problem," said Glass.

The phone call came in during the middle of the afternoon with no caller identification to verify its origin.

The woman on the other line claimed to work for Missouri Gas Energy. After telling Glass she had forgotten to sign her check, she told her the company might have to shut her gas off.

"We said, 'How much is the check?'" said Glass. "And they said $62.

Glass said she about laughed the woman off the phone for thinking any utility bill could be only $62. The woman quickly hung up, Glass said.

"Did you know right away it was a scam?" asked KCTV5's Dana Wright.

"More or less, yes," said Glass.

But, many metro resident haven't recognized the scam, said energy company officials.

Missouri Gas Energy, Kansas City Power & Light and the Board of Public Utilities have all received several complaints.

In every case, the callers use the fear of service shutoff to trap the victims, the energy companies report.

"I think people are preying on the elderly, particularly using the fear factor that they could lose their water, their electricity, their heat, what have you. And that's something that people can't live without. So it's using that fear factor to get them to turn over some money," said BPU spokesman David Mehlhaff.

Mehlhaff said some utility customers have given out their social security numbers, others have given their bank account information.

KCTV5 News obtained copies of customer complaints. They show that the scammers go by different names, but the method is generally the same -- "You forgot to sign your check, give us your credit card information or we'll shut you off."

Dixie, a Kansas City, Kan., resident, said her 97-year-old mother almost fell for it last month, but her poor eyesight saved her.

"They immediately asked her for her bank account number. She has sight problems real bad. She couldn't read it. She was going to give it to them," said Dixie.

Dixie said her elderly mother believed her service was about to be shut off, and the scam only unraveled when she asked Dixie to drive her to BPU to meet a woman with cash.

All three local utility companies said they already have your personal information, and if they show up at your door they will arrive in uniform with a badge and in a clearly marked car.

One thing investigators fear is that the scammers will keep making these calls until someone falls for it.

The Blue Springs Police Department said someone is calling residents right now in its city claiming to be from the water department.

Utility companies want to know if this has happened to you.

BPU: 913-573-9190 | www.bpu.com

MGE: 816-756-5252 or 800-582-1234 | www.missourigasenergy.com

KCP&L: 816-471-5275 or 888-471-5275 | www.kcpl.com

Since the KCTV5 News investigation aired in May, one major utility company said that it alerts its customers to the scam. But company officials fear the scammers just moved on to customers in other parts of the metro area.