Nokia Award Promo Scam
Posted: Wednesday, November 10, 2010
by Jennifer Stewart
Stepping out of History
The other night at 3 am I was happily sleeping when I got rudely awakened by an sms. I leaped out of bed – who's died??? what's happened??? My thinking isn't clear at that time of night under the best of circumstances, and this was close to the worst. I fumbled with the cellphone in the dark and sent it clattering across the room. I fell out of bed to retrieve it, heart thudding.
This is what it said: "congrat!! Your phone no has won R250,000 on the NOKIA AWARD PROMO. Your reference no is 0166p. call 0782988202 from 8 am-6pm for your cash price". Idiots can't even spell. Well, call me an optimist, but even though in my foggy-cerebral and body-bruised state 80% of me didn't believe it, 20% of me leaped with joy at the thought that "the damn financial nightmare could be over". Blame it on the dark. But I ask you, how do you stop yourself hoping, "maybe it's true, maybe I did win"? People do, all the time, that's a fact.
Of course I couldn't go back to sleep. I remembered Jim Carey's story of winning a bike in a lottery he didn't enter, when he was a child. He said it opened his mind to the reality that we don't have to create the great things that can happen to us. He called it magic. As it happens, I had exactly the same experience as a kid. I also won a bike in a lottery I hadn't entered! I was about the same age as Carey was, too.
The more I thought about it, the more those figures kind of swapped, until 80% of me was thinking why the hell not? and 20% was desperately trying to get a foot of sanity in the door.
Without much success. Eventually I fell asleep, and woke up so tired that at first I forgot about the sms. All I could think of was coffee and breakfast.
Then when I was carrying my toast and morning coffee through from the kitchen – eureka! I remembered! But alas something had happened to all my Jim Carey-inspired optimism in the dead of night. I put my coffee down on the table and eyed my cellphone with some degree of hostility. Eyed my coffee. Coffee won the day and those figures reverted to 80% skepticism, 20% sort-of-kind-of-maybe-hope-but-probably-it's-a-scam.
So I called the number. It was engaged, and thank God full sanity returned, as I realized that at that very moment, somebody was possibly getting suckered, and being asked for their bank account details so the prize money could be transferred to them. And in the blink of an eye their account would be emptied.
These scams have netted about $1 billion in the US, and 150 million pounds a year in the UK. In 1997 the Nigerian scam earned $100 million in 15 months. When I hear of people being scammed, I think "how could they have fallen for it?" But if I'm honest, I understand. When you're vulnerable you want to believe. Whoo boy, it makes me murderous.
The world is a frightening place sometimes, with these people who have no ethic. Nobody home. They seem to be on the increase with the growth of technology, the decrease of privacy and the ease with which people can be reached. They're like some kind of virulent disease. Even if you don't have money in your account at the moment, once these guys have your account details they destroy the cellphone they called you from, and wait until you get a sizeable deposit. Within seconds the money is gone.
And so are they. I have very vengeful and ugly thoughts about people like this. The detritus of society.
Of course I couldn't go back to sleep. I remembered Jim Carey's story of winning a bike in a lottery he didn't enter, when he was a child. He said it opened his mind to the reality that we don't have to create the great things that can happen to us. He called it magic. As it happens, I had exactly the same experience as a kid. I also won a bike in a lottery I hadn't entered! I was about the same age as Carey was, too.
The more I thought about it, the more those figures kind of swapped, until 80% of me was thinking why the hell not? and 20% was desperately trying to get a foot of sanity in the door.
“80% of me was thinking why the hell not? and 20% was desperately trying to get a foot of sanity in the door”
Then when I was carrying my toast and morning coffee through from the kitchen – eureka! I remembered! But alas something had happened to all my Jim Carey-inspired optimism in the dead of night. I put my coffee down on the table and eyed my cellphone with some degree of hostility. Eyed my coffee. Coffee won the day and those figures reverted to 80% skepticism, 20% sort-of-kind-of-maybe-hope-but-probably-it's-a-scam.
So I called the number. It was engaged, and thank God full sanity returned, as I realized that at that very moment, somebody was possibly getting suckered, and being asked for their bank account details so the prize money could be transferred to them. And in the blink of an eye their account would be emptied.
These scams have netted about $1 billion in the US, and 150 million pounds a year in the UK. In 1997 the Nigerian scam earned $100 million in 15 months. When I hear of people being scammed, I think "how could they have fallen for it?" But if I'm honest, I understand. When you're vulnerable you want to believe. Whoo boy, it makes me murderous.
The world is a frightening place sometimes, with these people who have no ethic. Nobody home. They seem to be on the increase with the growth of technology, the decrease of privacy and the ease with which people can be reached. They're like some kind of virulent disease. Even if you don't have money in your account at the moment, once these guys have your account details they destroy the cellphone they called you from, and wait until you get a sizeable deposit. Within seconds the money is gone.
And so are they. I have very vengeful and ugly thoughts about people like this. The detritus of society.
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More commentsThis was so apropo for this day and age Jenn- Hope springs eternal in the human heart- I don't even buy Lotto tickets anymore- I got sooo tired of hope being constantly defrayed- it was tending to make me pessimistic rather than hopeful-I buy them sometimes, Ella, but I usually forget about them. I know what you mean about hope being constantly defrayed, though.
My girlfriend was looking for a rental apartment and there is this guy who mails her from London and says that he will send her the pictures of the apartment and all the details of rental. He writes, he inherited the apartment from his parents who died in an accident, she has to sign the contract by answering all the yes/no questions and asks her if she will be willing to pay for the contract before he arrives in Zurich to handover the keys. She did it a fine search on the net and found that this guy has been scamming a lot of people.Thank God she was aware enough to do the search. I'm glad she didn't get caught.
I've got to the point that even if one of those trash "you've won" deals were real, I'd never know it. I'd much rather sweat myself to death doing it "my way", as you say, than to give them one ounce of satisfaction. Buzzards. Well I guess even that is too kind for them, even buzzards have some redeeming value. Nice work girl.Thanks, David. You're right, there's no creature you could compare them to.
And who will protect the innocent?Certainly not government. It's up to the individual in this age of electronic communication.It is that, Ron. It's quite scary to me how the electronic world is such a perfect medium for twisted, neurotic criminals.
Surely, those are scams. I also have experiences like that and I do really hate the hopes that they are placing in my mind. I couldn't imagine how this people can mange to trick a lot of people who are mostly desiring for a good fortune in their lives.I don't understand them either, Jezmine. Thanks for commenting.
Jennifer,
Thanks for writing this article, many of us need to be fully alert or else we will have trouble in the horizon. this type of people do not have any remorse and they will clean you up.
JoseThey will indeed, Jose, especially if you're vulnerable.
Those darn telemarketers. They never give up even when you're sleeping.It's rude, that's what it is!
One must certainly be careful. I get these emails all the time, but just delete them. A Nigerian scam did, however, try to sucker me in when I tried to sell a trumpet on a local buy/sell website. I received an email with an offer to buy and accepted the buyers price offer. I was then sent three postal money orders for way more than the trumpet price and was asked to cash them and return the balance to a particular address. (Classical Nigerian scam). Of course I wasn't going to get suckered in, but I actually received a number of phone calls from the scammer. (sounded like a Nigerian accent). When I informed the caller that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had been contacted, the harassment ended. I must say it was a scary moment, and I was just trying to sell a trumpet.Good heavens. It's very hard for me to get my head around that kind of mentality. It was a good idea to mention the police.
Yes, you are so right with your description of wanting to believe and being skeptical at the same time. I have been in your shoes but luckly did not comply with their requests. Whew! Thanks for the reminder of reality check. Espeically now during the holidays.It's a pleasure, Polly. Thanks for commenting.
A timely reminder-more and more people are aware of the potential scams and are doing their homework before making a decision, but as you pointed out, these scammers know how to get you in your weakest moment. Thanks!
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