Durban - The mayor of uMhlathuze Municipality Xolani Ngwezi says someone has hacked his phone and not only blocked him from having access to calls and messages but has been asking his contacts for money.
Ngwezi says he noticed that he couldn’t make calls at around 4pm on Tuesday and then realised that his WhatsApp too was blocked.
“This morning I went to the cellphone network’s shop to report it and block the sim card, I also went to the bank and realised that someone had deposited R5 800 into my account (via cellphone banking).”
The municipality sent out a warning to the public on Facebook about the hack and urged that no one send him money.
“Warning! Everyone please be careful. The mayor’s phone is hacked. The criminals are sending people messages using his number asking for money as if the mayor is in trouble.
“Public should be warned that the mayor will not ask anybody for any financial assistance at any point,” said the statement.
The mayor said he hasn’t reported the matter to the police yet, however he instructed the bank to return the money he has received.