Sol Plaatje warns of scam targeting Kimberley law firms

THE SOL Plaatje Municipality has alerted the public and legal community to a scam where an individual falsely claims to be a municipal official, soliciting payments from law firms to be included on the municipality's panel of attorneys.

Here's what you need to know:

• The scammer has been using the name of the municipality's legal adviser without permission.
• A Kimberley-based law firm was asked to pay R20,000 for inclusion on the panel.
• The municipality does not request payments for panel inclusion or procurement-related matters.
• Approved firms are contacted directly by Supply Chain Management.

The municipality strongly condemns the scam and urges local law firms to:

• Verify any suspicious correspondence directly with the municipality.
• Report incidents to the Municipality's Legal Services and the South African Police Service.