Endumeni residents and businesses have warned about a scam involving a man identifying himself as Mr Khumalo, who is allegedly contacting people and demanding electricity payments into a private bank account.

The municipality confirmed that Mr Khumalo is not affiliated with any official municipal services and urged the public not to engage with him under any circumstances.

According to reports received by the municipality, the scammer appears to have access to residents’ or businesses’ electricity account details and uses this information to claim that electricity will be cut off unless immediate payment is made into an ABSA account with the following details:

Account name: Distribution Energy Power Supply Endumeni LM
Account number: 411 943 8920
Branch code: 632005

“Victims have been asked to send proof of payment via WhatsApp or email, allegedly to registry@endumeni.gov.za – a tactic likely intended to make the scam appear more credible,” said Willie Steenberg of the Endumeni Residents Association, ERA.

The Endumeni Municipality has reiterated that it only uses an official FNB bank account for all municipal payments, and no payments should ever be made to personal or alternative accounts.

Steenberg said he had confirmed that this is a scam and urged anyone who has received a call from a Mr Khumalo or similar individuals to report the incident immediately to the municipality or the local SAPS.

“Do not under any circumstances transfer money to this account or provide your account information. This is a scam,” he warned.

Residents are encouraged to share this warning widely and help prevent further victims from falling prey to this fraudulent activity.

For any account-related queries, contact the Endumeni Municipality directly via their official channels.

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