88660 (8am to 5pm) for ur cash prize;
b) Congratulations! It is our pleasure to notify you that your sim number has won R195,000 and Nokia E65 from our NOKIA YEARLY PROMOTION. Your ticket no 0166.p, contact your claim agent Mr Smith Lucas 0783779583 and make sure your ticket no is activated by your claim agent before transfer.
The two above text messages mysteriously found their way into my inbox recently. I had never entered any of the said competitions but here I was declared a winner of a staggering amount of cash. Without a doubt I was ecstatic but at the same time my mind was everywhere, being cautious as much as I can I initiated my own research and found out that this was a scam after all.
A local website that caters for such crimes made a startling revelation and a host of complains, comments and warnings are lodged in there. Up-on calling (to claim the price) you are greeted by a foreign accent (assumed to be of Nigerians; mainly because they are highly associated with such crimes) and instruct you to purchase airtime voucher which you will have to send to them so you can claim your prize (sic). To unsuspecting victims they will comply only to realise later that they have been tricked.
With the so-call safety measures by RICA been introduced to curb such fraud but a phone call to a service provider to follow the call and trace the owner proved futile. It ain't safe out there where thieves can do as they please and when an innocent soul retaliates will be found guilty; in such circumstances who does consumers turn to for help?
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