As homeowners and businesses seek relief from Eskom’s load shedding through alternative power products, criminals are taking advantage by targeting electrical contractors.
Solar has become the most popular source of relief for South Africans as load shedding continues to throttle economic activity and disrupt general day-to-day life in South Africa.
South African households have imported over R5 billion worth of home solar equipment over the past year, and this is expected to increase significantly in the country following the solar incentive announcement by the National Treasury in March 2023.
This incentive allows private households to secure a rebate on solar panel installations – to a maximum of R15,000 – and businesses can get a 125% rebate on investment into solar projects.
However, this booming trend to escape load shedding has also attracted scammers and criminals looking for opportunities to take advantage.
At the end of February, Fidelity ADT reported that it had received an alarming number of solar panels being stolen from properties, typically during the day while homeowners are at work.
However, it seems these criminals have found an easier way to steal solar equipment – by targeting the solar installers before they reach their customers.
Criminals are now reportedly targeting electrical contractor vehicles on the road, stealing all their equipment and solar panels.
Speaking to eNCA, electrical contractor Rodney Snyman said it’s gotten to a point where installers are now removing solar installation advertising from their vehicles to avoid becoming a target.
He added that some installers are now also carrying protection to transport solar goods.
“For us as installers, we have to carry protection now to ensure these criminals don’t overwhelm us and take us off the road,” said Snyman.
In addition to criminal targeting, solar is also a blossoming sector for scammers.
The City of Tshwane issued an alert to residents in March, warning of scammers pretending to be city representatives rolling out a new solar initiative.
The scammers pose as fake contractors, travelling around in an apparent City of Tshwane credit control contractor vehicle.
The “contractors” take pictures of houses under the pretence that this is in relation to a “Tshwane Solar Installation Drive”. This is done to gain information on the homeowners’ solar setup and how they can potentially steal them.
The city said residents should report suspicious behaviour and operations by these fake contractors to the authorities.
Fidelity ADT added that criminals are continuously shifting and altering their behaviour patterns, making it increasingly important for homeowners to keep up with security trends.
Source: https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/683551/criminals-have-a-new-target-in-south-africa-2/
