A link circulating on WhatsApp claims to be advertising new year gifts from Huawei. The ad (see screengrab above) apparently promises winning candidates computers and mobile devices as well as cash prizes.
Background
Huawei is an electronics manufacturer with global repute and multiple brand stores in Kenya, making many vulnerable to potential online harm that could arise from an online scam using the brand’s name.
A similar ad claiming to give away free gift cards worth Kshs 25,000 from Carrefour Supermarket during the festive season was flagged as a phishing scam.
Verification
The new year gifts advertisement shared on WhatsApp is not on the official Huawei website, neither is it on the Huawei Facebook and Twitter accounts, where the company would ordinarily announce such an offer.
A WHOIS search of the link shared on WhatsApp reveals that the website where interested users are supposedly required to redeem their gifts, was registered by the domain name g93od.cn under a Chinese organization which Google translates as ‘Beijing Xinwang Digital Information Technology Co., Ltd.’ Piga Firimbi has previously looked into a similar scam, claiming that WhatsApp is offering free internet bundles.
Verdict
The ad claiming to promote free new year gifts from Huawei is FAKE.
Note: User data previously collected in such dubious circumstances has been used in spam campaigns in addition to being used to enrol unsuspecting users to premium-rate messaging services that cost them money. For your own safety, please refer to WhatsApp’s recommended safety measures.
Add comment