Cape Town scam alert: Top five scams targeting residents - IOL

The City of Cape Town warns residents of ongoing scams across the Metro.

The City of Cape Town has warned residents to be on high alert for a growing range of scams, including fake service-disconnection notices, fraudulent job offers and bogus housing opportunities.

Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Alderman Siseko Mbandezi, said the City is alerted regularly about various incidents where residents are contacted, often via WhatsApp, by individuals falsely claiming to represent the City. 

“The scammers allege municipal accounts are in arrears and demand immediate payment to prevent the disconnection of water or electricity services.

"They promise job or housing opportunities in exchange for payment. The scammers also pretend to be responsible for traffic fine payment. These are not real, and residents should always take a moment to pause and verify. Remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is,” Mbandezi said. 

Residents are reminded that payments must only be made through official City payment channels. 

“The City does not use WhatsApp to notify residents of account arrears or service disconnections. No City official may request payment into a personal bank account, via e-wallet or through other informal payment methods.

"We thank our residents for always being cautious when approached by anyone purporting to be a City official and asking for payment. It is only through working together, pausing and verifying that we can bring an end to this criminality,” Mbandezi said. 

The City said it does not notify residents of service disconnections via WhatsApp or social media. No municipal employee or contractor will ever ask residents to pay via e-wallet, CashSend, or a personal bank account.

The City does not request payment from residents to register on the Housing Needs Register or to receive a state-subsidised home.

The City does not request payment for unpaid traffic violations via SMS, email, or WhatsApp.  Residents are encouraged to check on cityofctviewfines.co.za and to make payment through paythat.co.za.

Parking fees are paid directly to the official parking marshals at the time of parking. Where parking has not been paid, residents are encouraged to log a query to make arrangements.  

The City does not recruit via WhatsApp messages, flyers, or word of mouth. The City does not charge a fee for job opportunities, which includes completing or updating jobseeker forms, interviews, contracts, EPWP and internship opportunities  

Residents across the City of Cape Town have been urged to verify any threats of disconnection or demanding of immediate payment. Residents have further been urged to never make an urgent payment without confirming the request is legitimate.