MTC warns against scams
Staff reporter - There is a raise in a variety of scams relating to MTC competitions and products and the company has warned its more than two million customers to remain vigilant and alert.
MTC is aware of ongoing cases of scams where fraudsters pretend to be MTC employees and try to defraud customers via online, but most frequently via privatised calls that narrate false information in attempt to solicit money, the company’s corporate communications practitioner, Fikameni Mathias, said in a statement today.
“It is unfortunate that most of these attempts have been successful, and with the festive season upon us, MTC anticipates a raise in this dishonest trend and would like to warn customers to be vigilant of these scams,” he said.
Mathias shared the different variation of scams.
BEWARE
Reward calls are the most common scam. The client has a good record of recharging and calling and hence MTC would like to reward them with a certain amount. This conversation would later lead to the fraudster proceeding to ask you for your One Time Pin (OTP), among other personal details, which allows them to make an online purchase, while pretending to be you.
“Take note that this is a scam and MTC has no such reward activities currently running,” Mathias said.
Be aware of web-based mobile site and social media with dubious but enticing titles, he said.
It encourages people to complete an on-line poll to stand a chance to win a Samsung, iPhone or iPad Pro. It further states that randomly selected winners will be required to cover delivery costs to have their gift couriered to them. Mathias said this too is a scam.
Another scam is when a customer gets a call and the supposed MTC agent claims the customer has taken part in a competition that are unaware of and have not participated in. The caller proceeds with the OTP procedure and askes the customer’s banking details in what is supposed to be the procedure for the customer to claim their monies.
Another scam targets families, especially the elderly. A caller would call a family claiming a relative of the family has been involved in an accident and hence money should be sent for ambulance services.
VERIFY
“We would like to emphasise that in any case of a competition, MTC will never ask you to share your banking details telephonically. If you are asked to pay a certain fee in order to claim your reward, it is definitely a scam. In addition, our agents will never ask you for a One Time Pin (OTP).
“Also, our agents will never rush you into doing payments or procedures under the pretext of possibly forfeiting your prize monies should you not comply. The rush is intended to deceive unsuspecting victims into disclosing bank account and credit card numbers, which are later used to fraudulently pay for online transactions,” said Mathias.
Mathias advised customers to always contact the customer call centre at 13000 or 12000 to verify when in doubt.
MTC is aware of ongoing cases of scams where fraudsters pretend to be MTC employees and try to defraud customers via online, but most frequently via privatised calls that narrate false information in attempt to solicit money, the company’s corporate communications practitioner, Fikameni Mathias, said in a statement today.
“It is unfortunate that most of these attempts have been successful, and with the festive season upon us, MTC anticipates a raise in this dishonest trend and would like to warn customers to be vigilant of these scams,” he said.
Mathias shared the different variation of scams.
BEWARE
Reward calls are the most common scam. The client has a good record of recharging and calling and hence MTC would like to reward them with a certain amount. This conversation would later lead to the fraudster proceeding to ask you for your One Time Pin (OTP), among other personal details, which allows them to make an online purchase, while pretending to be you.
“Take note that this is a scam and MTC has no such reward activities currently running,” Mathias said.
Be aware of web-based mobile site and social media with dubious but enticing titles, he said.
It encourages people to complete an on-line poll to stand a chance to win a Samsung, iPhone or iPad Pro. It further states that randomly selected winners will be required to cover delivery costs to have their gift couriered to them. Mathias said this too is a scam.
Another scam is when a customer gets a call and the supposed MTC agent claims the customer has taken part in a competition that are unaware of and have not participated in. The caller proceeds with the OTP procedure and askes the customer’s banking details in what is supposed to be the procedure for the customer to claim their monies.
Another scam targets families, especially the elderly. A caller would call a family claiming a relative of the family has been involved in an accident and hence money should be sent for ambulance services.
VERIFY
“We would like to emphasise that in any case of a competition, MTC will never ask you to share your banking details telephonically. If you are asked to pay a certain fee in order to claim your reward, it is definitely a scam. In addition, our agents will never ask you for a One Time Pin (OTP).
“Also, our agents will never rush you into doing payments or procedures under the pretext of possibly forfeiting your prize monies should you not comply. The rush is intended to deceive unsuspecting victims into disclosing bank account and credit card numbers, which are later used to fraudulently pay for online transactions,” said Mathias.
Mathias advised customers to always contact the customer call centre at 13000 or 12000 to verify when in doubt.
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