Zamtel issues warning on fake promotion

Zamtel has issued a public notice warning its subscribers of a fake promotion being carried out where they might be called by the fraudsters telling them that they have won a promotion and should send airtime to a Zamtel number (unspecified in post) or send cash to them using the same number.

The notice shared in a Facebook post is as follows:

“Zamtel wishes to warn its esteemed customers to be wary of unscrupulous individuals who are enticing unsuspecting members of the public to subscribe to Zamtel by calling them and informing them that they have won a cash prize in a promotion. We have been informed that these unscrupulous individuals are requesting subscribers to send talk time or transfer money to a Zamtel cell phone number.
Kindly note that Zamtel is currently NOT running any promotions that requires subscribers to send talk time or transfer money to any number. Should you receive any suspicious calls and SMS along these lines, please report the activity to the nearest police station or call Zamtel on 111 or 0211 333152.”

Zamtel says it has reported the case to the relevant authorities.

To avoid being scammed here are some tips:

• Never share personal details with people you don’t know
• Never share passwords with people claiming to be representing mobile operators, or anyone else.
• Block all calls you think are spam or report them to your operator/police.
• Do not share banking details with or send money to unknown people in order to claim a prize in a promotion

Lastly, how do you win a competition you never took part in? Even if they claim that you were ‘randomly chosen’, you will never be asked by a mobile operator to send airtime or cash to claim your prize. That’s a red flag right there! They will usually request you to meet a representative at their nearest service centre so that’s how you know it’s real.