Imposters presenting themselves as City Power officials seem to be running the city lately, following numerous complaints from targeted victims.
Suburbs within Roodepoort seem to be the playground for some of these bogus impersonators who either pose as City Power officials or service providers contracted by the power utility.
In a space of two weeks, two incidents have been reported, with one having a successful result after the property owner in Wilro Park, who was almost scammed by two bogus officials who claimed they had been deployed to cut off electricity or be paid an amount of R6 000, were trapped and arrested by the police, operating in conjunction with City Power’s Risk Control Unit.
Also Read:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2018/05/28/print-coj-warns-residents-of-bogus-officials-web-beware-of-bogus-coj-officials/
However, the second incident, in Constantia Kloof on Monday, 25 February, did not have a fortunate ending, as a gate motor on the property went missing, coincidentally after four men in two unbranded flatbed trucks were ‘working’ on the electricity box outside the targeted property.
The shocked homeowner, Cheryl Clingen, who now has to padlock the gate since it no longer works, said her daughter enquired about these men’s suspicious activities outside the property; however, she claimed she was ignored by them at first, but later they told her they were fixing lights.
“Our power also went off when these men were busy ‘fixing’ the box at about 4pm, and the next afternoon (26 February) my daughter noticed that the gate would not open by remote. On closer inspection she realised that the gate motor had been stolen,” Cheryl lamented.
“They unscrewed the entire motor box and left the bolts lying there,” she described the aftermath.
Prior to opening a criminal case with the police, Cheryl said they called City Power to find out who was working in the area, and was dismayed to hear that “… they had no records of workers in the location”.
Florida Police spokesperson, Sergeant Mpho More, confirmed the case. “A case was opened and is still under investigation,” she said.
In a statement by the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, councillor Nico de Jager, he warned residents to beware of these imposters.
“Residents should not to allow any person, technician or contractor onto their property without first verifying their credentials with City Power’s Security Risk Control Unit on 011 490 7911/ 7553 or 7900, or by contacting the Metering Call Centre on 011 490 7484,” he said.
He also encouraged residents to contact their nearest police station.
“We cannot allow criminal elements to prey on residents, at the cost of actual employees and contractors not being able to do critical work that will better service delivery,” De Jager stated.
He went on, “I therefore strongly urge residents to always request an identity card when approached by a City Power employee or contractor. This card will be colour-coded for specific sections within the entity. The card will display a photo of the specific employee or contractor carrying the said card. Their name, identification number and expiry date will also feature. A hologram of the City Power firefly logo appears on the card as well”.
