Scammers committing a particularly painful form of identity theft appear to have hit just the right formula to trick thousands of victims: a punishing heat wave, large utility bills, a bad economy and a good story.

The criminals have persuaded victims across the country that a special federal government assistance program — sometimes described as a bailout authorized by the Obama Administration — is available to pay their utility bills, according to Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services. Victims get bank account and routing numbers to use when paying their bills online, but only after they “register” by surrendering their Social Security numbers and other personal information.

There is no such utility payment assistance program, Cooperative Services said, but electricity users are falling for the ruse everywhere, making it in one of the more successful scams in recent times. Residents should never give out their social security number or bank account information to someone who calls without verifying the call, Freeborn-Mower Cooperative warns.

If residents receive a phone call from a person representing themselves as a Freeborn-Mower Cooperative employee and they suspect it is a scam, they should not give out personal information, and hang up. Legitimate companies do not ask for account numbers or passwords over the phone, Freeborn-Mower says, and caller ID does not verify a person’s identity. Residents should call 507-373-6421 to verify if someone at their door claims to represent Cooperative Services.