Officials have noted a reoccurrence of scams taking place recently, with criminals posing as City of Cape Town officials to rob residents.
Recent incidents have taken place in the Athlone area, as well as Strand and Bellville.
The City was unable to confirm the number of instances brought to their attention at the time of going to print, but reminds residents to remain vigilant.
Mayco member for energy Beverley van Reenen urges locals to report any suspicious activities to Law Enforcement or police.
This is not the first time People’s Post has reported on electricity staff and also refuse staff being impersonated to scam locals.
In two events ahead of lockdown, solid waste officials were impersonated. The bogus staff used the pandemic to solicite donations from residents, claiming they had been retrenched, in another instance, then Mayor Dan Plato said electricity staff were also impersonated.
Also during the pandemic, “electricity staff” scammers were asking residents for their meter numbers to allegedly perform maintenance, also using the pandemic to gain access to homes.
In January, ahead of the pandemic, the first instance was reported, with electricity staff being impersonated under the guise of checking electricity infrastructure.
They carried a form of identification and mainly targeted elderly residents.
Council employees are often impersonated during scams, as can be seen in several articles published over the past few years.
The recent instance of scams is done so under the guise of electricity officials.
The scammers often target the elderly and their apparent approach is to carry out a survey or to check your electricity meter. Once the resident allows the scammer access to their home, the scammers steal personal items, Van Reenen confirms.
“We remind residents that the Electricity Generation and Distribution Department is not carrying out surveys and when the City needs to do checks on electricity meters, officials will make an appointment with the resident. Municipal workers and contractors must carry a work order number specific to that dwelling and a City-issued identification card. Residents should please ask to check the official identification card before allowing anyone onto their property,” says Van Reenen in a statement.
According to Van Reenen, officials are doing work across the metropole, but will advise residents ahead of work.
“The City is carrying out a free residential electricity meter upgrade programme for targeted suburbs in Cape Town. The City appointed a contractor to replace older single and three-phase electricity credit meters with new prepaid meters in selected suburbs across Cape Town.The cost of the new meters is covered by the City in suburbs where the programme is active,” she says.
“Once the earmarked area is due for the upgrade, our contractor will drop a letter in your post box to arrange an appointment. After arranging a suitable time for the meter upgrade, you can verify the supplied reference number by phoning the City’s call centre on 0860 103 089.”
Aside from the above advice, Van Reenen says all City officials are supplied with identification.
“City workers and contractors must carry a work order number specific to that dwelling and a City-issued identification card. Residents should please ask to check the official identification card before allowing anyone onto their property,” says Van Reenen. “The City worker or contractor’s identification card must display the City logo, the name and surname of the staff member or mandated contractor, and must contain an embedded photo of the staff member or mandated contractor.”
While the City has not noted an increase in scam attempts over a specific period of time, Van Reenen urges residents to always be aware of scammers who wish to gain access to their property.
“We ask residents to remember to verify the official’s City-issued identification card and work order number, and to make contact with us via the call centre if unsure,” she says.
- Further, residents who would like to confirm if and when their suburb is scheduled for electricity meter upgrades can see the full project schedule on the City’s website: https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Apply/Municipal-services/Electricity/apply-for-an-upgrade-to-a-new-prepaid-electricity-meter
