ERMELO – Msukaligwa Local Municipality has warned residents about another scam in which fraudsters pose as municipal officials and falsely claim electricity supplies are about to be disconnected unless an immediate payment is made.

The municipality said the latest scam involves a person using the name “Mthombeni”, who allegedly contacts residents by phone or WhatsApp, claiming their electricity account has a “ticket of cut off” before demanding R1 500 to prevent disconnection.

The Highvelder previously reported on a similar electricity disconnection scam in which a fraudster posed as a municipal official to demand payments from residents.

Officials stressed that legitimate electricity disconnection notices are issued in writing and that the municipality will never request urgent payments through private bank accounts or WhatsApp.

Residents are urged not to share personal or banking information, to verify suspicious communications through official municipal channels, and to report incidents to the municipality or SAPS.

The municipal contact centre can be reached on 0800 014 903 or via WhatsApp on 079 503 6729. Suspected criminal activity can also be reported to the SAPS Crime Line on 10111.

Residents who receive fraudulent WhatsApp messages are encouraged to forward the message and the sender’s number to the municipality’s official WhatsApp number.

Read more about the previous electricity disconnection scam that targeted Msukaligwa residents, including how the two cases compare, in next week’s Highvelder.