This follows reports of customers receiving hand-delivered letters while others being approached by fraudsters who claim that the customer’s electricity meter was found to have been tampered with and that an immediate spot fine must be paid to avoid disconnection of power.
Criminals also trick unsuspecting members of the public to install what it purported to be a prepaid meter, where the customer is scammed to believe that they will pay substantially less per kilowatt per hour if they switch to the new prepaid meter. Once the customer accepts this “upgrade”, the monthly fees are not paid to the city, but to the scammer.
The municipality has warned that should an unlawfully installed prepaid meter be found by the city’s Meter Auditors, the illegitimate prepaid meter will be confiscated and electricity supply will also be disconnected until a legitimate meter is installed by Ekurhuleni officials. This will be followed by a backdated billing as the city would not have received payments from the customer.
To avoid becoming a victim of this crime, residents are advised to follow the following rules:
• Do not make direct payments or pay spot fines to an individual claiming to be a municipal official. All payments must be done over the counter inside any Rates Hall across Ekurhuleni.
• Upon receiving a letter addressed from the city, residents should make a follow-up call to the call centre or the 999 number provided in the letter before making any payments.
• Always request a legitimate receipt that can be kept as proof of payment.
Any illegal activities or suspicious behaviour should be reported through the municipal call centre on 086 054 3000.
