IMAGE: Namibia Fact Check / WhatsApp
A message congratulating a WhatsApp user on winning $550,000 was forwarded to Namibia Fact Check to verify
The message was received by the WhatsApp user twice on 15 September 2023 from different numbers. The two messages (screenshots below), that were forwarded to Namibia Fact Check, were received six minutes apart from two South African numbers, as can be seen below.
The message is part of a phishing scam meant to entice the receiver to send private and personal information to the number listed or the email addresses provided in the message.
THE NUMBERS
According to the Truecaller caller identification app both of the numbers from which the message was received are active in South Africa, one on the MTN network and the other on the Telekom network (see below).
A quick Google search of the mobile number listed in the message found two results, both linking the number to fake lottery scams from 2020 (image below). The number was listed as a number used by scammers in May 2020 by the 419Scam webpage.
According to 419Scam the Global Mega Management lottery has been circulating around social media for over a decade, taking on different forms, and can be dated back to as early as 2005.
In 2021, Bitdefender, a cybersecurity website, debunked a similar scam. The scam was also received via email and claimed that the user won $950,000 from the ‘Facebook Online International Promo,’ and urged the receiver to forward personal details to a claim agent.
On 2 November 2021, BitDefender’s debunking of the message concluded:
“Be suspicious of unsolicited correspondence that promises monetary prizes or goods, especially if [you] haven’t participated in any online contest or giveaway.”