The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has issued a strong warning to customers against fraudsters demanding mobile money payments for services such as meter installation, replacement, or debt cancellation.
According to Ing. George Amoah, ECG’s General Manager for Ashanti West, the company does not operate any mobile money accounts, and customers should disregard such requests. He explained that criminals often pose as ECG officials, calling or messaging customers to demand payments for meters or installation fees.
“All ECG transactions are strictly cashless and can only be processed through the ECG PowerApp or the official shortcode \*226# — not through personal mobile money numbers,” Ing. Amoah stressed.
“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 explained.
He revealed recent cases in Adum, Suame, Breman, Abuakwa, and other districts where victims lost sums ranging from GHC 900 to GHC 2,000 to scammers, who then cut off communication. ECG is working with security agencies to track and arrest those behind the schemes.
Ing. Amoah outlined the proper procedure for acquiring a meter: customers must complete wiring with certified electricians, submit forms to ECG, and pay a GHC 100 registration fee. Once approved, ECG sends an official SMS with payment details. He clarified that replacing faulty meters is free, cautioning against paying contractors or anyone demanding unofficial fees.
He assured customers that ECG has secured sufficient meters under its Loss Reduction Project and urged the public to report suspicious calls and make payments only through official channels to prevent fraud.
