The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has cautioned all customers to be vigilant against fraudsters posing as company representatives.
According to ECG management, scammers have been requesting payments through mobile money accounts in exchange for services such as meter installation, replacement, or debt cancellation.
This warning comes in response to reports from customers who have received calls from unknown numbers, falsely instructing them to pay for meter services.
Ing. George Amoah, the General Manager of ECG in the Ashanti West Region, highlighted that the company does not operate a mobile money account. Customers are urged to ignore any requests for payment via these channels. Stay safe and report any suspicious activity.
“They reach out to customers via social media or phone calls and ask customers to make a payment to certain mobile money numbers for their meters to be installed or replaced. In some instances, they claim it’s an installation fee and end up impersonating ECG officials like the District Manager, accountant or Technical Officer,” Ing. Amoah clarified.
He emphasised that with the introduction of ECG’s cashless system, all transactions must be initiated through the ECG PowerApp or the shortcode *226#. This system allows for payments without incurring mobile money charges.
Ing. Amoah expressed concern about the increasing activities of fraudsters and assured the public that ECG is collaborating with security agencies to track and apprehend them.
“Just last week, some fraudsters called a customer who had applied for a meter with ECG to pay GH₵900 for the meter to be installed. The customer paid the money, and the fraudsters demanded an additional GH₵500 as an installation fee to the Momo number 0508058638.
However, the customer became suspicious and visited our office at Adum for clarification before he realised these fraudsters were not officials of ECG, and they stopped picking up his calls. There was a similar incident at Breman, where an old man paid 2,000 Cedis to fraudsters who also stopped picking up his calls after receiving payment. We are liaising with the security agencies to bring these perpetrators to book,” he explained.
He noted that cases of fraud have been reported in the Adum, Kokoben, Suame, Danyame, Abuakwa, and Ahinsan districts, where fraudsters are using numbers such as 0531807230, 0508790801, 0543803302, and 0532752541.
To educate the public about the correct procedure for applying for a meter, Ing. Amoah explained that customers must first complete their wiring with certified electricians. After that, they should submit the necessary forms to the ECG office and pay a registration fee of GH₵100.
“Once the quotation is ready, you will receive an SMS from ECG with a unique code telling you how much to pay depending on the service requested. If you want to pay via the ECG PowerApp, you will initiate the transaction yourself, but ECG will not call you that your meter is ready, so send money to someone’s personal account or any mobile money number,” he further stated.
He added that “Replacement of faulty meters is free, so no customer should pay money to any person who calls or demands payment for a meter to be replaced”.
Responding to claims that ECG had inadequate meters, Ing. Amoah noted that the implementation of the Loss Reduction Project (LRP) has enhanced availability.
“With the introduction of the Loss Reduction Project, ECG has enough meters to service customers who pay for service applications and has commenced the replacement of faulty meters to enhance customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and reduce our losses,” he added.
He further urged the public to support ECG in combating mobile money fraud. He encouraged everyone to make payments directly at ECG offices or through its official digital platforms.
Additionally, he advised reporting any fraudulent calls to the police or to ECG offices.
