GQEBERHA – The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) has warned residents to remain vigilant after scammers began circulating fake municipal notices via WhatsApp in an attempt to defraud account holders.

According to the alert, the fraudulent notices closely resemble official municipal account statements but contain altered banking details intended to trick residents into paying money into fraudulent bank accounts.

The latest warning follows a similar alert issued by the municipality in May, when residents were cautioned about scammers using WhatsApp to demand payments, threaten electricity disconnections, sell fake prepaid electricity and distribute fraudulent municipal payment messages.

The municipality has urged residents not to make any payments unless they have first verified the municipality’s official banking details.

According to the alert, the municipality will never send SMS messages requesting residents to use “new” banking details, ask customers to transfer payments into a different bank account from those listed on its official platforms, or send municipal statements from unofficial email addresses. Municipal account balances and payment details are also not communicated via WhatsApp.

The municipality said official account statements are sent only from the email addresses voiceivr@mandelametro.gov.za and statement@mandelametro.gov.za.

Residents are encouraged to verify all payment information before making any transfer and to confirm banking details through official municipal platforms or by contacting the Accounts Call Centre on 0800 20 5050 and selecting Option one.

According to the alert, any suspicious messages should be reported immediately to Ethics@mandelametro.gov.za.

The municipality has also advised residents not to click on unknown links or open suspicious attachments, and to warn family members, particularly elderly relatives, about the scam.

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