Scams pop out everywhere

Several scams have surfaced in Namibia within less than two months worrying the The Bank of Namibia (BON) which have issues several warnings since the beginning of January to sensitise the public to the unprecedented proliferation of scams especially via email and mobile.

Bogus emails or SMS messages, claiming to be from a reputable source, all target unsuspecting recipients to reveal either their personal information, or their banking details, have mushroomed over the holiday period and into the new year. One of several scams that have emerged is the “FIFA World Cup 2014 online lottery scam. The Bank of Namibia issued a warning to the public against complying with the various scams unless they want to be duped out of their hard earned money.

“One such scam has been randomly sending fraudulent messages to e-mail addresses, announcing that the recipient has won a ticket to go to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The recipient is also told that he or she has won the sum of One Million British Pound Sterling through a so-called computer ballot, which the scammers say is jointly organized by FIFA and MICROSOFT NETWORK” stressed  Elifas Kamati, Customer Complaints Officer at BON. In the same light other scams have been making rounds regarding the Mandela estate. The emails promise recipients millions from Nelson Mandela estate and in return the supposed beneficiaries must disclose sensitive details such as their ID number, address, cellphone and occupation. Late in December an entity by the Name “Ecobank Namibia” has been sending SMS messages to cellular phones requesting to immediately call the number +006703 343 013 in order to receive a cheque of $80,000” stated Emma Haiyambo, Acting Director of Strategic Communication at BoN.