The Jamaica Star :: News :: Overseas scam targets Digicel customers

Mobile giant, Digicel, is encouraging its customers, who receive suspicious text messages about winning dubious prizes to contact the company if they are unsure about what to do.

Text message

The advisory comes after THE STAR contacted the mobile phone company about a text message some Digicel customers have been receiving. The text message claims people have won a vehicle and that they should contact a telephone number in Nairobi, Kenya, to claim their prize.

"When in doubt, take your Digicel phone and call and check, do some investigations," Patria-Kay Aarons, public relations manager at Digicel said.

The text reads,"Japan International Motor Show: You won a Toyota Land Cruiser VX, year 2000 s/Roof in Promotions held in Nairobi, Kenya. Details call 25478799168."

When THE STAR contacted the number, we got a tone, which one often gets when a phone has been disconnected. In addition the news team contacted the number that the text message was sent from and received a similar tone. The area code for the number, which was 255756231779, suggested that it originated in Zanzibar or Tanzania in Africa.

So far it would seem that the texts are a scam to get money, as one woman who received the message called the number. She was told to go to New Kingston and pay $8,000, to collect the vehicle.

Send U$200

Another customer who received the text message, said he was told that he too had won a Land Cruiser valued at US$92,000 (J$6.5 million). However he noted that prior to the text he had received an e-mail telling him that he had won the vehicle in addition to money and that he should send U$200 to pay to clear the vehicle. However, when he told them to deduct the money needed from the sum that he allegedly won and send the balance, he received no further details.

Although neither the Fraud Squad nor the Digicel were aware of the text messages, Aarons said Digicel did not give out the numbers of those who received the messages to anyone or any company.

However she noted that some companies do guess telephone numbers and send out the messages randomly, so anyone could likely receive one of the text messages. She also said she was advising people to be cautious. "If you have won something, you should not have to pay money to get it. If that happens you need to be suspicious," she said.