As people fell on hard times during this covid pandemic era, many began to explore different money making methods. Unfortunately for the majority of us, scamming is also on the rise.
If you’re living in Zimbabwe perhaps you’ve come across a text message stating that you or someone else has won a large sum of money. The messages that have been circulating have thus far been using the names of United States companies to try and fool people.
The message will look something like the following:
Once you send the details stated in the message, these scammers carry out various crimes or lure you further to submit more personal information. The crimes can range from identity theft to stealing your bank details.
What can you do to protect yourself from these scammers.
- Don’t reply to the messages by all means
Some people would opt to reply with “STOP.” This is because legitimate companies that send their campaigns can receive this feedback and stop sending promotional messages. However. scammers now use the same technic to get you to reply. When you reply “Stop” or any other reply, this notifies the scammer that the phone number is valid and they will continue to send scammy messages using various numbers.
2. Don’t click on any links
Links in messages such as these can lead to websites that seem very legitimate. On these websites the scammers will lure you into giving out your personal information.
3. Block the number from your mobile device
Most phones have inbuilt blocking systems. Make sure to block the number so that you don’t receive any further messages.
Some phones will give the following option:
Stay Safe!