Inverter scam | Conman leaves some KZN residents in the dark

PORT SHEPSTONE - The country's electricity crisis has created a niche market for scammers to try and take advantage.

Residents on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast are warning others of a con doing the rounds in the area.

Some have lost over R50,000 to a bogus electrician who claimed he can install inverter systems for them.

An elderly couple from Southport, Port Shepstone was scammed out of R28,000 by an electrician they hired to install an inverter system for them.

The pensioner says they tried reporting the matter to the police who accompanied them to look for the suspect but couldn't help.

Another resident says their own investigation revealed that the so-called electrician is unqualified and has been using someone else's certificate as his own.

Meanwhile, the police say the matter is a civil one and at this point are unable to open a case.  

They are warning residents to be extra vigilant when they hire private contractors.

* eNCA's Lethiwe Mdluli reports.