The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has alerted its customers to a surge in scams where fraudsters pose as ECG agents to sell fake prepaid meters and collect mobile money payments that do not reach the company. These scams leave customers financially out of pocket and without a power connection. ECG operates a fully cashless payment system, and customers are advised to make payments only through the ECG Power App or the USSD shortcode *226#.
According to Dr. Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, ECG's General Manager for External Communications, the scams take two main forms. In one, individuals pretend to be ECG staff or authorised agents, offering to sell new prepaid meters for a fee, often promising fast installation. These fake sellers advertise on platforms like WhatsApp and TikTok, and customers pay upfront only to be left without a meter or with an unregistered one.
The second scheme involves phone calls where a caller claims to be from ECG, stating that a meter is ready for collection or installation and directing the customer to pay into a personal mobile money wallet immediately. ECG emphasises that its staff never operate in this manner. Customers who fall victim to these scams not only lose money but also end up with unregistered meters, which ECG treats as illegal connections.
For ordinary Ghanaian households and businesses, these scams result in real financial losses and the inconvenience of being without power. ECG stresses that any meter obtained outside its official process is considered an illegal connection, exposing victims to further complications. Unregistered meters cannot be recognised or serviced through ECG's normal systems.
ECG is urging the public to be cautious and to pay only through its recognised channels: the ECG Power App and the USSD shortcode *226#. The company advises customers to ask for identification from anyone visiting their home or shop in ECG's name and to avoid rushing into payments when pressured. Customers are also advised to end suspicious calls and report the numbers to ECG and the police.
Dr. Ayiku advised customers to be vigilant, as scammers typically rely on creating a sense of urgency to push victims into paying before they can verify the request. ECG's guidance remains that customers should restrict all transactions to the ECG Power App or *226# and treat any other payment request as fraudulent.
While the report does not indicate whether ECG or the police have opened any formal investigation into specific scam operators or a timeline for a wider public awareness campaign, ECG continues to emphasise the importance of using only its official payment channels to avoid falling victim to these scams.
Key points
- ECG warns customers to pay only through its official channels, the ECG Power App and *226#.
- Scammers are selling fake prepaid meters and demanding mobile money payments that never reach ECG.
- Victims of the scams face financial loss and the inconvenience of being without power.
