Image Courtesy: Namibia Fact Check / Instagram
A viral post on Instagram falsely claims that MTC Namibia was selling iPhone 15 Pro mobile phones for N$55 during December
Namibia Fact Check first spotted the post on 28 December 2023, when it had already attracted 159 likes and 32 comments.
It continued to circulate on Instagram timeline and story feed through the end of December 2023, when it was last spotted.
The post claims:
“Unique opportunity at MTC: iPhone 15 Pro for only NAD 55!
Dear friends, once again we are happy to delight you with a super beneficial offer – you can buy an iPhone 15 Pro for only NAD 55.
Click on the “Apply Now” button to find out how to do it and get free shipping! This offer is too good to miss!”
Following are different versions of the same post as it appeared and circulated on Instagram in December 2023 and early January 2024:
The Facts
Namibia Fact Check clicked on the “Apply Now” tab and was taken to a webpage that was not linked to the official MTC Namibia website, even though it had the logo and corporate colours of the company. The webpage was also flagged as not secure by the browser.
The webpage contained a list of personal questions that the viewer had to answer in order to win an iPhone 15 Pro, so it was no longer a matter of buying a usually very expensive mobile phone for a ridiculously low price.
MTC posted on 8 January on its official Facebook and Instagram pages that the post that had continued to circulate on social media was fake. The company made the following statements regarding the viral post:
“Dear MTC Customers,
We have taken note of the above social media post that has been circulating on social media.
Please take note that this is a phishing scam and does not come from MTC.
We urge all our customers to not interact or click on any links.”