Man claiming to be municipal employee nabbed for fraud scheme

FOLLOWING the numerous warnings by eThekwini Municipality about people posing as municipal employees with an aim of robbing the public of its money, the City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU) has finally arrested a suspect.

The man, who was allegedly claiming he could assist homeowners to nullify accounts in arrears, was arrested in Phoenix recently. Mbuso Ngcobo, a head of CIIU, said the suspect had allegedly swindled a large amount of money from the residents.

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“The City will not tolerate the exploitation of residents through planned criminal activity. It is alleged that the man was operating with a municipal official. He was misleading residents by stating that he works for the eThekwini Electricity Unit. Homeowners were promised that their electricity bills would be written off,” Ngcobo explained.

He said their investigation revealed that residents have been paying an amount of R5 000 and above to the culprit. Ngcobo added, “The accused appeared in the local court on November 1, and the case was remanded to November 30. Residents are urged to verify the details of municipal staff who are executing their duties.”

He concluded that the suspect has been charged with three counts, including the tampering and destroying of essential infrastructure, impersonation and extortion.