Customers are instructed by the Electricity firm of Ghana (ECG) to conduct business with the power distribution firm exclusively via its offices, PowerApp, and shortcode *226#.
It cautioned clients not to respond to fraudulent payments made through bank accounts and Mobile Money for services like debt cancellation, meter installation, and meter replacement.
Customers’ concerns of receiving calls from unfamiliar numbers asking them to deposit money into their ECG bank or Mobile Money accounts in order to receive services have made this alert necessary.
Ms. Christina Jatoe-Kaleo, the Volta Regional General Manager of ECG, urged clients not to listen to those requesting money transfers to an ECG mobile money account in order to utilize ECG services, clarifying that her organization does not have a mobile money account.
She continued by saying that these are the actions of con artists who utilize phone calls and social media as part of their operation.
“They reach out to customers via social media or phone calls and ask them to make payments to certain numbers or bank accounts for their meters to be installed or replaced. In some instances, they claim it’s installation fee and end up impersonating ECG officials like the District Manager, Accountant, or Technical Officer”, she explained.
According to Ms. Jatoe-Kaleo, “customers are to initiate transactions or access our services through the ECG PowerApp or shortcode *226# with the introduction of the ECG cashless and paperless systems.”
Customers shouldn’t fall victim to scammers because these technologies enable them to manage their payments and use ECG services without incurring any MoMo or E-levy fees.
She gave her word that her organization is working with law enforcement to find and apprehend these con artists.
“Just last week, some fraudsters issued a fake press release to the GRA Customs Training Academy at Kpetoe and later told them to pay GhC1,140 as an installation fee for three meters to the MoMo number 0508058638. However, the officials of the training academy reported the incident to our office which we later forwarded to the security agencies”, she said.
Ms. Jatoe-Kaleo added that attempted fraud incidents have been reported in Ho, Kpando, Hohoe, Denu, and Sogakope Districts and that “some of the numbers used for such fraudulent activities include 0531807230, 0508790801,0543803302 and 0532752541.”
She appealed to customers to avoid dealing with middlemen, be on the lookout for these illegal activities by fraudsters, and report such incidents to the nearest police station or ECG office.
Ms. Jatoe-Kaleo appealed to the public to help protect ECG poles against bush fires and transformers from people who vandalize them “to steal valuable components since these activities can lead to prolonged outages which will affect both ECG and its customers”.
