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The Rwanda Energy Group (REG) is urging its customers to be vigilant and protect themselves against an ongoing wave of deceptive scams circulating on social media, where fraudsters impersonate REG or call customers pretending to be REG staff. These scammers claim that REG is linking cash power meters with Mobile Money accounts so that customers can receive discounts whenever they purchase electricity.
These fraudsters have created a fake link containing questions related to REG services. They tell users that if they answer the questions correctly, they will receive electricity tokens as Christmas and New Year gifts allegedly offered by REG.
Afterward, they ask for your phone number so they can “send the tokens,” but they use that number to call you and convince you that you have won electricity units. Then, they instruct you on what to do so the tokens can be “uploaded to your cash power meter.” Do not fall prey to them!
There are also fraudsters who directly call customers pretending to be REG employees, claiming that there is an ongoing exercise to link cash power meters with Mobile Money PINs to enable automatic discounts on electricity purchases., this too is false.
Once you provide your PIN or any other sensitive information, the scammers have full access to your phone and can steal your money immediately.
Remember that no genuine REG employee will ever ask for your Mobile Money PIN, bank details, or any other confidential information in order to provide services.
Geoffrey Zawadi, the External Link Director at REG, delivered a warning saying:
“We urge all our customers to be vigilant. REG has no program that reduces electricity tariffs, as these are determined by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA). That institution is the only one with the mandate to set electricity prices that REG implements. Anything else you hear is simply a scam aimed at stealing from citizens.”
He further encouraged REG customers to stay alert and avoid being misled by information circulating on social media but rather verify authenticity by checking on REG website or social media platforms.
REG provides the following advice to its customers:
- Do not believe any information before verifying its authenticity.
- Always visit the official REG website (www.reg.rw) and follow REG’s verified social media pages such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and others, as these are the only trusted sources of information from REG.
- If you encounter these fraudsters attempting to scam or deceive you, immediately report them to the nearest Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) or call REG’s toll-free line 2727.
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