The City of Cape Town is urging residents to stay vigilant as scammers continue to target them through a range of fraudulent schemes, from fake service disconnection threats to bogus job and housing offers.

In a public advisory, the Mayco member for finance, Siseko Mbandezi, said the City is regularly alerted to incidents where residents are contacted – often via WhatsApp – by individuals falsely claiming to represent the municipality.

“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,” said Mbandezi. “These are not real and residents should always take a moment to pause and verify.”

The top five scams

• Payment to prevent water or electricity disconnection – The City does not notify residents of service disconnections via WhatsApp or social media. No employee or contractor will ever ask for payment via e-wallet, CashSend, or a personal bank account.

• Payment for a state-subsidised house – The City does not charge residents to register on the Housing Needs Register or to receive a state-subsidised home.

• Traffic fines – The City does not request payment for unpaid traffic violations via SMS, email, or WhatsApp. Residents should check fines at cityofctviewfines.co.za and pay through paythat.co.za.

• Outstanding parking fees — Parking fees are paid directly to official parking marshals at the time of parking. Unpaid fees should be resolved by logging a query with the City.

• Job opportunities – The City does not recruit via WhatsApp, flyers, or word of mouth and never charges a fee for job applications, interviews, contracts, EPWP, or internship placements.

Key reminders

• 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 informal payment methods.
• Residents should never provide personal or banking information or click on suspicious links.

“If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is,” Mbandezi warned.

How to report and verify

Residents who receive suspicious messages demanding urgent payment are urged to pause and verify before acting.

• Call centre: 0860 103 089
• Fraud hotline: 0800 32 31 30
• Email: fraud.hotline@capetown.gov.za
• Police: Contact your nearest police station for criminal matters.

“It is only through working together, pausing and verifying that we can bring an end to this criminality,” Mbandezi said.

For more information on the City’s payment and support options, visit https://bit.ly/4gWE072.