Fake City Power officials scam Roodepoort residents
Five residents with accounts in arrears were duped into paying the fraudsters, who visited their homes pretending to represent the power utility.
Ward 89 councillor Zander Shawe said the scam was brought to his attention in October last year. Some of the imposters reportedly wore fake City Power uniforms and carried falsified identification.
'These scammers have access to residents' contact details and addresses. I'm not sure how they obtain this information, but people need to stay vigilant,' said Shawe.
Many affected residents now feel vulnerable, concerned that others could fall victim too.
Shawe offered the following advice to help residents protect themselves:
• Verify with City Power:
Always contact City Power directly via official channels if someone claims your power will be disconnected. Residents in Ward 89 can also visit the Civic Centre at 100 Christiaan de Wet Road, Florida, or email [email protected]. The City offers payment solutions like acknowledgements of debt.
• Report suspicious activity:
If you receive a suspicious call, message or visit, contact Shawe on 083 445 2067.
• Use official payment methods:
Never hand over cash or make payments to individuals. Use only City of Johannesburg's recognised payment platforms.
Shawe clarified that City Power does not notify residents of disconnections via WhatsApp or personal phone calls.
'City Power does not engage with residents one-on-one over WhatsApp before a disconnection. Stay alert – this can happen to anyone at any time.'
The Roodepoort Northsider also spoke to one of the victims, who asked to remain anonymous.
'There was no clear information about this. When people come to your home in uniform, you trust them. But now, we can't trust anyone. We appreciate our councillor's efforts to fight this,' the resident said.
The Northsider approached City Power for comment on the scam and possible recourse for residents, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
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