A WhatsApp message is being widely shared in Kenya claiming Safaricom is awarding Kshs 7,000 to some of their subscribers for Christmas celebrations.
Background
With the onset of the Christmas and New Year festivities, many corporates are lining up to reward their loyal customers with deals, discounts and even promotions. This is used to enhance their image to the public while appreciating their existing customers. Safaricom is Kenya’s largest telecommunications company with over 35 million subscribers. With other competitors trying to nib at its market share, Safaricom is continually evolving, carrying out roadshows and promotions in its quest to retain and get more subscribers.
On clicking the link, it leads to a site that asks the user to enter their mobile number.
The site then shows a status bar confirming it is a valid number and then asks one to share the link to 12 groups on WhatsApp to be able to withdraw the Kshs 7,000 to your account.
Verification
A look at the website’s URL shows that it is not Safaricom’s website URL. Safaricom’s official website is https://www.safaricom.co.ke/.
A WHOIS search on the URL shows that it’s hidden therefore it is almost impossible to identify the real owners.
Safaricom’s official URL is registered under Safaricom PLC along with the company’s phone numbers.
The promotion website tries to imitate the colours and images from the official Safaricom page to dupe unsuspecting users.
Verdict
All Safaricom promotions are usually shared on their official website and social media pages. The above promotion was never posted on any of those platforms. The domain used is not one that belongs to Safaricom. This type of scam follows a similar pattern to the ones we have covered before.
The claim that Safaricom is offering Kshs 7,000 to some of its subscribers during this Christmas period is FALSE.
I m requesting please to celebrate with my family