Eskom warned the public about a scam involving prepaid electricity vending machines. Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe told Fin24 that the scam involved criminals claiming that the utility was offering franchise opportunities for the distribution of prepaid electricity vending machines.

“The con artists claim that the distributors would be able to resell electricity at a price they would determine themselves,” Eskom said in a statement.

According to Eskom no reseller is allowed to put any mark ups on electricity.

“Prices in South Africa are determined by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa),” Eskom said.

The utility urged the public not to have any dealings with the SA Tenders website (http://www.satendergate.com),  which also displayed an official Eskom logo.

Phasiwe said that the scammers were offering the vending machines for R3 500 and claimed that the machines could also produce airtime.