Durban — eThekwini Municipality mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has warned the public about a scammer using his name.
Kaunda has informed residents that there is a fraudster using his name and sending emails to unsuspecting recipients requesting money.
The mayor assured city employees, residents and the business community that he would never send an email or WhatsApp requesting money.
Kaunda said: “In the email, the scammer is also using the name of my colleague councillor Thanduxolo Sabelo to lend credence to their unscrupulous activity. The public should treat this as a scam and report the email address generalheadofoffiice@gmail.com to law enforcement agencies.”
In recent months, many political figures have been plagued by scammers using their names to solicit money from the unsuspecting.
Last month the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) alerted the public to a fake Facebook account and WhatsApp messaging alert purporting to be MEC Siboniso Duma.
EDTEA spokesperson Malusi Mchunu said that a Facebook page with pictures of the MEC is fake and did not represent the MEC.
At the time, Duma did not have a social media page and his office was going to unveil it on Monday, September 26.
All posts or social media messages (inboxes and comments before that) should have been characterised as fake news and impostor activities.
The Office of the MEC is also alerted to fake WhatsApp conversations. The MEC has only one number used for telephone and messaging communication and it does not correspond with the impostor’s chat number.
Days after he was elected as the new ANC KZN chairperson, opportunists created a fake Facebook account purporting to be Duma.
The ANC KZN condemned the fake Facebook account that has been floating on social media platforms.
Daily News