With this hundred degree weather, people are paying hundreds of dollars to run their air conditioner all day. Now, the federal government issued a warning: criminals could be targeting you!

Schemes across the country are preying on people who are suffering from high electric bills or other utilities, by telling victims they can get their bills paid through a federal government assistance program. The program is sometimes described as a bailout from President Obama.

The problem: This program doesn't exist.

Typically, the message is circulated through email or social media. To receive the money, those running the schemes claim they need the consumers' Social Security and bank routing numbers. In return, customers are given a phony bank routing number that will supposedly pay their utility bills.

The utility company will start to process the "payment," but days later decline the fake account. That's when consumers realize they've been taken.

So far, the Cleveland Better Business Bureau says two people locally fell victim and filed a complaint. But there are thousands nationwide.

Federal investigators are unsure who is behind the scheme, and don't know who has the Social Security numbers of thousands of Americans.

For more information on this, click on this link to the Better Business Bureau.

WKYC-TV