Uganda: Conmen Cash in On Promos

Source from:  The Monitor (Kampala) 10 September 2007 09/11/2007

PHONE owners have been warned against responding to strange text messages congratulating them for winning corporate goodies. Unilever Uganda and British American Tobacco Uganda - Batu are the latest companies to issue warnings coming on a back of promotions in companies where every phone owner stands a chance to win free items. Several cases have been reported in Kenya and Ugandan of conmen taking advantage of the sloppiness thus inventing schemes to fraudulently rip off the ever expectant individuals. In a space of one month, all telecommunication companies have been giving out mega prizes ranging from money, air time and household property their clients. "People's expectations are too high to doubt the validity of an SMS inviting one for a prize from a company," said a foreign student at Makerere University who was defrauded of Shs500,000. He could not hold the excitement after he got a call to receive five free computers and air time worth Shs250,000 but only if he bribed the purported sales agents who had signed for the items on his behalf down town. The conmen met him at campus with the computers packed in a mini bus, took his photos demanding at least half of the bribe and would pick items at a press conference later in the afternoon. "All this never materialised as the contact number has never been available since then," he said. UTL Marketing and Communications Officer Mr Mark Kaheru confirmed that there are fraudulent conmen who use all networks and people should validate such SMS with media advertisements. He said their promotions are advertisement in the media and that the winners are contacted on a particular publicised number. Police spokesman Simeo Nsubuga said they have not yet arrested any culprit but have received several complaints. Enditem