Fake water meter testers on the prowl: How to check before you let them in

Johannesburg Water (JW) issued a warning to Ward 73 residents on Tuesday about unauthorised individuals posing as meter auditors contracted by the City of Johannesburg.

Residents in the area have been targeted in recent weeks by alleged scammers pretending to be “meter auditors”.

“Johannesburg Water would like to inform residents, particularly those in ward 73 that Mr Mischa John from Omnitell Tech, is not a JW contractor,” the entity said in a statement.

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Paper fake identity cards

The affected Ward 73 areas include Norwood, Oaklands, Orchards, Killarney, Lower Houghton, Upper Houghton, Orange Grove, Fellside, Victoria Ext 2, Fairwood, Mountain View, Bellevue, and parts of Parktown.

Reports indicate that when asked for identification, these individuals displayed paper cards in lanyards.

However, suspicions arose over the legitimacy of the cards.

Following incidents reported over the weekend, a councillor from the area revealed that a Citizens Relations Urban Manager from the City confirmed that official city-associated staff use hard cards rather than paper ones.

This further deepened concerns that the displayed cards were counterfeit.

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Residents to remain vigilant

Johannesburg Water has urged residents to remain vigilant and avoid sharing personal information with suspicious individuals.

“We urge residents not to provide any personal information or financial resources to unauthorised individuals,” it said.

Furthermore, residents are encouraged to visit the official Johannesburg Water website to verify the legitimacy of meter readers, which provides information on new contracts and authorised meter readers.

Residents are advised to carefully check contractors’ credentials before granting them access to their properties and to report any suspicious activities to the relevant authorities.

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