Magalies Water warns bidders of tender scam using phone numbers 063 660 0464 and 064 968 1664
Taung Daily News reported on 27 October 2026 that Magalies Water, a South African water utility, has warned bidders to be vigilant after a tender scam in which unknown people allegedly impersonated its spokesperson an…
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Source: taungdailynews.com · published
What happened
Taung Daily News reported on 27 October 2026 that Magalies Water, a South African water utility, has warned bidders to be vigilant after a tender scam in which unknown people allegedly impersonated its spokesperson and implicated a general manager. The aim, according to the utility, was to influence the outcome of a tender currently before its Bid Committees. Magalies Water says the scammers used the email address davidm@magalieswater.co.za and the cellphone numbers 063 660 0464 and 064 968 1664, and that none of these belong to the officials named. Its ICT department found the email did not come from Magalies Water's official email system and classed it as a spoof, meaning the sender details were forged.
How the scam works
Tender scams exploit the fact that bidders are anxious about the result and are told to deal only with named officials. A fraudster sends a message that appears to come from a real official's address, then calls or messages from a mobile number and suggests that a payment, favour or inside arrangement can sway the outcome. A spoofed address copies the utility's real domain, so the sender line looks genuine at a glance.
The report does not say whether any bidder paid or lost money. Magalies Water describes the incident as part of a sustained campaign to damage its reputation and says this is not the first time in recent months that its officials' names have allegedly been used for unlawful activity. It stresses that it conducts its financial affairs under the Public Finance Management Act and National Treasury Regulations, and urges bidders in both advertised and closed tenders to verify any suspicious communication purporting to come from it.
Bidders can report suspicious activity to the whistle-blowing hotline, 0800 667 937, by email at magalieswater@behonest.co.za, or on WhatsApp at 0860 004 004. The officials whose names were used are the impersonated parties, not suspects.
Source
Taung Daily News, "Magalies Water warns bidders about tender scam involving names of officials" (27 October 2026).
Red flags
- An approach about a tender from a mobile number rather than the organisation's official contact channels.
- An email that looks like it comes from the organisation's domain but did not pass through its real mail system.
- Any suggestion that a payment or favour can influence a tender decision.
- Contact from an official you have not dealt with before, about a tender still under evaluation.
- Pressure to keep the conversation private.
If you were targeted
- 1Don't pay or promise anything to anyone who says they can influence a tender outcome.
- 2Verify any contact by calling the organisation on a number from its official website, not one given in the message.
- 3Magalies Water says the numbers 063 660 0464 and 064 968 1664 and the address davidm@magalieswater.co.za are not its officials'; don't engage with them.
- 4Report suspicious tender activity to Magalies Water's whistle-blowing hotline (0800 667 937), magalieswater@behonest.co.za or WhatsApp 0860 004 004.
- 5Keep emails, call logs and messages as evidence.