The City of Ekurhuleni reminds its customers to never pay any amount to any person posing as a municipal official, unless this payment takes place over the counter, inside the city’s rates halls.
This follows reports of customers receiving hand-delivered letters and being approached by fraudsters who claim that the customer’s electricity meter was found to have been tampered with and that an immediate spot fine must be paid to avoid disconnection of power, said Themba Gadebe, metro spokesperson.
Customers are also lured to install what is purported to be a pre-paid meter, where the customer is scammed to believe they will pay substantially less per kilowatt-hour if they switch to a pre-paid meter. Once the customer accepts this “upgrade”, the monthly fees are not paid to the City, but to the scammer.
“If an unlawfully installed pre-paid meter is discovered by the City’s meter auditors, the illegitimate pre-paid meter will be confiscated and the electricity supply will also be disconnected until a legitimate meter is installed by Ekurhuleni officials. This will be followed by backdated billing as the city would not have received payments from the customer,” Gadebe warned.
To avoid becoming a victim of crime, residents are advised to follow the following golden rules:
• Do not make direct payments or pay spot fines to an individual claiming to be a municipal official. All payments must be over the counter inside any rates hall across the City.
• Upon receiving a letter addressed from the City, residents should make a follow-up call through the call centre or the 999 number provided in the letter before making any payments.
• Always request a legitimate receipt that can be kept as proof of payment.
Any illegal activities or suspicious behaviour should be reported through the municipal Call Centre on 086 054 3000.
