UAE | General
'Winning' SMS is a hoax, Nokia UK warns
A leading mobile company has warned its users not to respond to a message that tells them they have won thousands of pounds.
- By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:05 April 28, 2008
- Image Credit:
- Several Nokia mobile users who received the message on their mobile phones sought confirmation of the promotion by contacting Nokia UK online.
Dubai: A leading mobile company has warned its users not to respond to a message that tells them they have won thousands of pounds.
A number of Nokia mobile users in the country said they received a message in their inbox that read: "Congratulations! Your cell phone has won £165,000 [Dh1.2 million] in the ongoing Nokia UK promo."
The message also featured an e-mail address and a telephone number for claims.
Gulf News got in touch with Nokia Corporate Communications in the UK for clarification. The company said the message is one of several hoax sms's that are circulating around the world, and Nokia has nothing to do with them.
Confirmation
The mobile manufacture apologised to its customers for any inconvenience.
Several Nokia mobile users who received the message on their mobile phones sought confirmation of the promotion by contacting Nokia UK online, while there are a few who tried to call back on the contact number provided for claims.
R. Vasudevan Nair, an IT professional, said he had been informed of similar messages making the rounds through e-mails and immediately got in touch with the mobile company in the UK when he received an SMS on his mobile.
"I wrote to Nokia Corporate Communications in the UK and they informed me that the message was a hoax."
Dennis Fernando, a salesman who also received the message, tried calling the telephone number provided at the end of the message.
"I dialled the number from a landline on a Friday when the rates are cheap. I made several calls on that telephone number but each time it gave me an engaged tone. I finally gave up," Fernando said.
"I was warned by my friends that the message could carry a virus that would get my mobile jammed, but still I went for it. Luckily I did not lose anything."
Another Nokia mobile user said the telephone number provided for claims was one from an African country.
"I checked out the telephone code. It was from Nigeria."
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