Nicosia, Cyprus. The Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) has warned consumers about a recent fraud targeting apartment tenants involving smart metre installations. The EAC said scammers are falsely requesting large payments for the work.
False payment requests
The EAC said fraudsters claim that a private electrician will install smart metres and request large payments from tenants.
EAC policy on smart metre replacements
The authority clarified it does not charge for replacing conventional metres with smart metres. It said the costs are covered by the EAC and European funds from the recovery and resilience fund.
Responsibility for installation and maintenance
As the owner of the electricity metres, the EAC said it is solely responsible for installation, maintenance and replacement and does not outsource this work to private electricians.
Replacement announcements and notifications
The EAC said it regularly announces mass metre replacement areas in the media at least once a month, and that the schedule is available on its website. It added that tenants receive notifications at least 24 hours before any replacement.
How to identify EAC staff
The authority said EAC staff arrive in marked official vehicles and carry service IDs that the public can verify.
Warning about deceptive messages
The EAC said communications from its officials do not mention payment amounts or methods and that any such messages are deceptive and intended to mislead the public.
Have you been asked to pay for a smart metre installation by someone claiming to represent the EAC?