Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has expressed concerns over a rising trend involving con artists targeting unsuspecting Kenyans with false promises of electricity connections, land leases, and job opportunities.
In a notice issued on Friday, the utility firm outlined seven deceptive tactics employed by fraudsters to swindle individuals of their hard-earned money.
The notice revealed that some conmen resort to blackmail, threatening to disconnect power supply unless a specified amount is paid.
Additionally, certain fraudsters approach individuals with land plots, falsely claiming that Kenya Power intends to establish substations or install transformers on their properties.
In these instances, targeted individuals are coerced into parting with money, under the guise of expediting processes associated with lucrative land leasing agreements purportedly worth thousands of shillings.
“Some of the tricks used by conmen in an attempt to defraud customers include asking customers to make payments directly to them so as to get Kenya Power materials including meters, poles, cables, and transformers, among others.
“Claiming to sell or supply Kenya Power materials to customers to aid in the construction of Illegal lines,” the notice reads.
KPLC emphasized various tricks used by con artists, including soliciting payments directly for Kenya Power materials such as meters, poles, cables, and transformers.
Another fraudulent scheme involves selling or supplying fake Kenya Power materials to customers, allegedly to support the construction of illegal power lines.
Unemployed Kenyans seeking job opportunities have also fallen victim to scams where they are charged fees and provided with fake job letters.
The impersonation of Kenya Power staff to harass individuals in their homes was identified as a disturbing emerging trend.
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Kenya Power urged customers to verify the authenticity of staff or contractors by dialing *977# and choosing the “Jua for Sure” option.
The public was also advised to request staff ID cards from individuals claiming to be Kenya Power personnel or contractors. Additionally, customers were reminded not to make payments to individuals but rather at designated Kenya Power offices.
For financial transactions related to Kenya Power services, the notice provided specific Pay Bill numbers, including 888899 for new connections, 888888 for bill payments, and 888880 for the purchase of tokens.
