Bermudians have been put on alert for a scam circulating on WhatsApp where persons are claiming to be Samsung representatives and offering a prize of US $800,000 from a competition.
The Bermuda Police Service (BPS) said the persons operating the scam are not Samsung representatives but are Nigerian scammers.
BPS said the scammers have convinced a Bermudian man to post a misleading video on social media stating that the prize draw is legitimate.
An elderly Bermudian was also convinced to send US$65,000 in cash and iTunes cards, before reporting the matter to police.
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How it the scam works:
The recipients are usually contacted via WhatsApp and informed that they are the winner of an $800,000 prize draw. Of note, more often than not, the WhatsApp contact number has a +234 prefix telephone code, which means that the senders originate in Nigeria.
The recipients are then shown a briefcase containing cash via video and are assured that a representative is currently on-island to deliver the cash to the recipients.
However, prior to delivering the cash, the recipients are directed to purchase numerous Apple iTunes cards locally, in order to satisfy delivery fees.
Once purchased, the recipients are instructed to reveal the unique number located at the back of every iTunes card and send a photograph of each number via WhatsApp back to the senders.
The fraudsters (senders) then quickly redeem the value of the cards before the recipient realises that they are being scammed.
Advice from the BPS:
• Report any suspected scam you may be involved in to the BPS non-emergency number at 211 or via e-mail to 211@bps.bm. Provide as much information as you can.
• If any credit / debit cards or other account details have been provided, contact your local bank as soon as possible.
• No legitimate organisation demands payment of any fees via the purchase of iTunes cards.
• Block all WhatsApp contact from calls originating out of Nigeria, or any other unknown contact. Here is WhatsApp’s guide on how to block calls and messages: https://faq.whatsapp.com/…/how-to-block-and-unblock…/….
• Be aware of scams involving Apple iTunes cards. Here is what Apple says about gift card scams: https://support.apple.com/gift-card-scams.
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