Rose-Mary Haufiku
MTC has warned Namibians not to fall for scammers calling people and telling them that they are some of the lucky winners of the just-ended spin and win campaign.
These scammers who pretend to be MTC employees are allegedly calling people asking for personal banking details such as security codes and bank card information, including expiry dates.
One of the victims, who requested anonymity, said she was contacted by a woman on Tuesday.
The scammer initially asked the victim whether she had participated in the MTC spin and win competition. The victim responded that she indeed took part in the competition and that’s when the scammer informed her that she had won N$15 300.
The alleged scammer then proceeded to enquire about the victim’s banking details, including the bank card’s security code and expiry date.
“She asked me if my account was still active and also asked about the expiry date of my card and lastly, she asked for the last four digits at the back of the bank card,” she explained.
At this stage, she said she became suspicious and ended the call. She called MTC to enquire about the suspicious call. She was then informed about the scammers trying to swindle MTC customers.
Therefore, MTC’s Fikameni Mathias cautioned people to be vigilant against these scammers.
Mathias told New Era that the prizes in the spin and win competition did not involve cash prices.
According to him, scammers use various scamming techniques at different intervals.
Hence, he encouraged citizens to always confirm with MTC on the validity of phone calls alleging winning cash prices.
“If one receives a call of that nature, they should call the MTC call centre to confirm. We wouldn’t ask you to pay for a prize that you have already won,” he said. The spin and win competition which provided MTC customers free spins based on the purchase of various airtime and selected bundles, started on 9 December 2021 and ended on 15 February 2022. The last and final winner in the spin and win competition was announced last night.