City warns residents of bogus municipal officials
eThekwini is working with CIID as internal staff are suspected to be part of the syndicate defrauding residents.
RESIDENTS have been asked to be extra vigilant following reports of criminals posing as eThekwini Municipality’s officials to extort money from unsuspecting customers.
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The city’s Energy Management Directorate said that despite ongoing internal investigations into possible involvement of staff members, these criminals continue to prey on residents. The directorate’s Revenue Protection Unit’s senior manager, Nathi Nkwanyana, expressed concern over the growing number of such incidents, stating that these criminal activities appear to be spreading to different parts of the city. He said in one recent case, a resident received an SMS claiming that a municipal team was on its way to disconnect their electricity supply due to alleged arrears.
“The message was fraudulent as the customer had no outstanding debt and was on a prepaid meter. The individual behind the SMS falsely represented themselves as an official from the Energy Management Directorate’s Revenue Protection branch and attempted to cause panic to extort money,” said Nkwanyana.
He added that the city is working with the City Integrity and Investigations Directorate (CIID), as there is great suspicion that internal staff members may be part of this syndicate.
“The fact that criminals have access to customers’ personal information is deeply concerning. The safety of our residents is of paramount importance, and we do not condone any form of criminality,” he said.
How to stay safe:
· Always verify the identification of any person claiming to be a city official before granting them access to the property.
· Refrain from making any payments to individuals posing as municipal employees. All payments must be made only at official municipal offices or through approved City payment channels.
How to report suspicious officials:
– The police – 10 111
– The Integrity and Investigations Directorate – 0800 20 20 20.
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