The electricity authority of Cyprus (EAC) warns consumers about recent fraud targeting apartment tenants.

Fraudsters falsely request large payments for smart metre installations by a private electrician.

The EAC clarifies that it does not charge for replacing conventional metres with smart metres.

These costs are covered by the EAC and European funds from the recovery and resilience fund.

As the owner of the electricity metres, the EAC is solely responsible for the installation, maintenance and replacement. It never outsources this work to private electricians.

The EAC regularly announces mass metre replacement areas in the media, at least once a month.

The schedule is available on the EAC website, and tenants receive notifications at least 24 hours before any replacement.

EAC staff arrive in marked official vehicles and carry service IDs, which the public can verify to prevent fraud.

Communications from EAC officials do not mention payment amounts or methods; any such messages are deceptive and aim to mislead the public.