One thing that never seems to run out for scammers especially in Kenya are opportunities to deceive people and get lots of money in return. Late last month saw a group of people send malicious text messages on WhatsApp as Safaricom was celebrating its 20th anniversary.

It was quite known that Safaricom had announced a couple of random giveaways in the form of airtime and free data. But the scam message was now encouraging subscribers to click a link to check whether they had been shortlisted for a KES 4,100 prize money giveaway.

Now, a new message is making rounds on social media platforms with a similar link. Apparently, the “prize” has now gone up to KES 7,000. The alleged prize going up can also be seen as an attempt to get any naive users clicking without a second thought. After all, no one hates free money.

Start off your week with tech news recap and trending conversations in your inbox

Enter valid email-id

Subscribe

I prefer it on Telegram

Do not be conned!
Visit the Safaricom website to learn more about our 20th anniversary offers by clicking on https://t.co/XSpdZFRV7V pic.twitter.com/XkVzx52Ptz

— Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) November 12, 2020

Like the “Anniversary” scam, there are a few things about this one that have been made to lure unsuspecting victims:

1. The layout: The outward User Interface is very Safaricom-esque. They have the right shades of green, good looking fonts and high quality ‘images’.
2. The Link is also more appealing than most other scams
3. Finally, Facebook comments and alike counter to give you the confidence that others have won too.

By clicking this link or any other similar, users risk having their phone numbers collected for spam messages. Additionally, your device could be vulnerable to cyber attacks that could get malware installed without you ever knowing.

In return, scammers benefit by getting money through these affiliate links. So, you will have to be careful whenever such messages are sent to you.