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The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has noted with great concern the wrongful use of its name in an attempt to fleece unsuspecting service providers of their hard earned cash.

The department has over the past weeks been flooded with calls and visits from suppliers who have been requested to provide certain services in the name of the DWS by an unknown syndicate.

Service providers need to be aware of the following modus operandi of the syndicate:

An unsuspecting supplier will receive a request for quotation seemingly from the Department of Water and Sanitation asking the supplier for and delivery of items, among others, such as the CORREGA DISKS. The discs are specified in such a way that no legitimate supplier will have such items.

In a desperate attempt to urgently respond to the request for quotation the unsuspecting supplier resorts to Google to look for any provider of goods who has such items. The supplier will then find the name/s of companies who supply exactly what has been specified. Upon checking and communicating with the “supplier” found on Google, the unsuspecting victim will then be sent a quotation by the said “supplier” found on Google.”

The quotation would then indicate that the unsuspecting supplier should deposit money into the bank account before the goods allegedly required by the department can be provided.  The deal is cancelled if the supplier does not have money.

In cases where the victim has part of the money, they are told to deposit that amount and pay the remaining balance after the alleged delivery to DWS.

Victims are told a day or two after having deposited the money into the given account that their items have been delivered to DWS head offices and that the outstanding balance is required. The unsuspecting supplier will then contact the department to check when his payment will be made and, only to be told that the DWS does not have any knowledge of such goods having been ordered. It is at this point that the unsuspecting supplier will realise that they have been conned.

DWS distances itself from these illegal and blatantly fraudulent activities. The department therefore advices suppliers to first verify the documentation received prior to any financial commitments.

Suppliers should verify the legitimacy of the orders received with the department’s name at its orders section by calling this number: 012-336 6554/7093.

Anyone approached in this fashion should verify the more information with Elizabeth Kgwadi at 012 336 7120.

Issued by Department of Water and Sanitation