Eskom probes ‘cheap electricity’ scam

SOUNDCLIP:

Power utility Eskom was looking into a scam which purported to sell “cheap electricity” vouchers on multiple social media platforms.

“Eskom is working with several law enforcement agencies to trace and prosecute these unscrupulous individuals,” general manager for security Advocate Karen Pillay said.

“We want to urge the members of the public not to fall prey to these crooks, but to report these acts of fraud to the police without delay.”

This comes after the power utility was reportedly inundated with requests to investigate the scam which was circulated on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.

“These unscrupulous individuals dupe people into paying for this ‘cheap electricity’ through the use of electronic fund transfers such as e-wallet and money market,” Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said, adding that the scammers subsequently disappeared and left their customers destitute and out of pocket.

“Eskom would like to urge members of the public not to fall prey to these crooks.”

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Mantshantsha further said that they urged anyone who across the criminality to report the acts to the police, adding that co-operation with law enforcement, thus far, had already resulted in some arrests and ongoing prosecutions in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.

“Eskom would like to caution customers to refrain from engaging in such acts and to purchase their prepaid electricity vouchers from the registered Eskom vendors,” he said.

Mantshantsha also encouraged their customers to anonymously report illegal activities to their toll-free reporting line on 0800-112-722.

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