The City of Cape Town has warned residents about scammers posing as their electricity unit employees selling cheap and fraudulent units in a bid to gain access to their homes to steal valuable items.

The City said it was aware of scammers posing as City electrical officials or contractors in order to get entry into residences and steal precious items such as jewellery and cash.

“In the first scam, residents are offered cheaper units. The electricity sold doesn’t work on the City’s meters and anyone making use of this service will unfortunately soon find that out,” City’s mayco member for energy, councillor Beverley van Reenen said.

“Everyone loves a deal, especially in these tough economic times, but remember if the price of the electricity units seems too good to be true, it very likely is a scam,” she said.

Similarly, if someone attempts to enter your home under the premise that a resident was to be given a rebate, it was also likely to be a scam.

In the second scam, a senior citizen reported to the City that someone had visited her home claiming they needed to enter the property to scan her prepaid meter so she can get a rebate on her electricity. Instead, she was robbed.

The City of Cape Town has urged residents to be aware of scammers who are posing as City officials or contractors to gain access to their homes.

“Once given access to residents’ homes, the scammers steal small personal items like jewellery and cash. In most cases, the elderly are targeted.

“We remind residents that the City’s electricity generation and distribution department will make an appointment with residents before visiting their home,” Van Reenen said.

Van Reenen further added that municipal workers and contractors must carry a work order number specific to that dwelling and a legitimate City-issued identification card.

“Residents should please ask to check the work order number and the identification card before allowing anyone onto their property and to verify whether the card is legitimate.

“The 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. If unsure, residents are urged to call the City’s call centre on 086 010 3089,” Van Reenen added.

Van Reenen also said that suspicious behaviour must be reported to the City’s law enforcement agencies or the City’s Fraud Hotline on 080 011 0077 or to the police. The SAPS remains the lead authority in crime prevention.