Samsung is warning customers to validate any promotion on their official social media pages or website before accepting any “prizes.”
The tech giant was responding to a request for comment from Loop News after people on social media noted they’d been contacted by strange numbers on Whatsapp.
The message usually comes from a +234 Area code, Nigeria’s country code.
It begins with a simple “Hello.” Then, “I’m [FAKE NAME] from the Samsung company. Why have you not claim your prize from the samsung company yet?”
If you haven’t blocked them by then, the message continues, “Your WhatsApp number was selected among those lucky winners that won the sum of $800,000USD and a brand new Samsung Galaxy S10 phone in the Samsung online promo held for WhatsApp users worldwide”
The ruse comes when they tell you how you can collect this prize.
“There are two ways in which you can able to claim your winning prize by, Home delivery which is DHL delivery or the bank transfer so tell me which one of them do you prefer to make a claim of your gold opportunity to receive it, so tell me how do you wants to claim your winning prize from the Samsung company…?”
This is where they ask for your bank information or ask you to send money to them to claim the prize. In response, Samsung said it’s important to be careful with your personal information.
“Samsung is committed to providing the best product and service experience for our customers.
We are committed to transparency, and therefore every promotion currently developed is announced through our official channels. Either on our Social Networks profiles or official web page. We encourage our customers to always confirm any promotion in the proper channels.
Protect yourself and protect your information.”
The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago couldn’t say how potential scammers acquired the WhatsApp numbers in the first place, but promised, “TATT will discuss with mobile providers the source and how it can be avoided.”
The Authority advised the public to “be careful of which sites and with whom you share your number online and don’t provide your phone number on social media sites” in order to limit or potentially eliminate spamming.
