A WESTVILLE resident was shocked when he was told that he had to change his geyser or pay a fine of R10 000 recently.
He was given the above options when he received a visit from two men who claimed they were from Eskom.
The resident said the two men were driving a black Polo and one of the men identified himself as Jonathan.
“What made me to be suspicious is that they only approached me and did not go to other houses and I live in a complex.
The men claimed that this was Eskom’s new policy.
“They told me that they will take away the old geyser and install a new solar system for which I would have to pay R400 a month for 48 months.
“They also said they will give me R7000 for the old geyser,” said the resident.
Eskom denied that they have sent out their staff to change peoples’ geysers.
This is not the first time that Eskom fraudsters have hit KZN areas. Earlier in the year Eskom warned residents about people posing as Eskom employees.
In their media statement, Eskom said the criminals’ modus operandi is to fraudulently claim that they have to replace the customer’s old geyser with a solar water heater.
“They then deceptively arrange an after-hours appointment with the homeowner to discuss the replacement of the old geyser.
The suspects, one woman and three men, carry false Eskom identification and drive a silver Toyota vehicle with the registration number ND 291 728, which is marked with false Eskom signage.
“Eskom wishes to alert the general public of the potential risk of falling victim to this scam. Anyone who receives such a call should exercise extreme caution.
“Customers should not let anyone into their homes unless they themselves had made the appointment with an Eskom person, or unless they have seen an advert giving details, dates, times, products and terms and conditions of the solar geyser project roll-out in their area.
“An increasing number of criminals are posing as Eskom employees to gain access to their properties. People are urged to report incidents of fraud, corruption and irregularities involving Eskom employees or suppliers to Eskom’s Forensic and Anti-Corruption toll-free Hotline on 0800 11 27 22,” reported Eskom media desk.
Another Westville resident said he has heard that there were two other houses that were approched by alleged Eskom fraudsters
“This is so strange because I feel that they are targetting elderly residents as all three houses are owned by elderly people.”
