The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has cautioned customers across the country against fraudsters using fake meter sales and fraudulent phone calls to collect money through personal mobile money accounts.
The warning was issued by ECG’s General Manager for External Communications, Dr. Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, who urged customers to avoid making payments to private MoMo numbers. According to him, ECG operates a completely cashless payment system, meaning customers are required to make payments only through the official ECG Power App or shortcode *226#.
He explained that money transferred to an individual’s MoMo wallet does not go to ECG and will not be credited to the customer’s account.
Dr. Ayiku identified two major forms of fraud currently being used against electricity customers.
The first involves individuals posing as ECG employees or agents and offering to sell or arrange the installation of electricity meters for a fee. Some of these fraudsters advertise their services through WhatsApp, TikTok and other social media platforms. After receiving payment, the individuals may disappear without providing the meter. In some cases, customers are given unregistered meters, which ECG considers an illegal connection.
ECG has therefore advised customers seeking new meters or electricity services to use the company’s official channels, including ECG district offices and the ECG Power App, and to pay only approved charges through the official payment platforms.
The second scam involves fraudulent phone calls. In these cases, scammers claim to be ECG employees and inform customers that their meters are ready for installation. They then provide a personal MoMo number and pressure the customer to make an immediate payment.
Dr. Ayiku stressed that genuine ECG employees do not request payments into personal mobile money wallets and urged customers to regard such calls as potential fraud attempts.
He said the scammers often create a sense of urgency to prevent victims from verifying the information before making payment.
Customers have consequently been advised never to send money to a personal MoMo number provided by a caller claiming to represent ECG. They have also been warned against purchasing meters from individuals, WhatsApp contacts or online advertisements.
ECG further urged customers to purchase electricity and settle their bills exclusively through the *ECG Power App or 226# and to keep their PINs, passwords and verification codes confidential.
Customers who receive ECG officials at their homes or businesses should also request to see valid staff identification before allowing them to proceed.
The company encouraged anyone who receives a suspicious call or payment request to terminate the call and report the matter to ECG and the police.
ECG reiterated that customers should make payments only through its approved channels and treat all other payment requests as potential fraud.
By Edem Akpabey
