DStv’s parent company Multichoice has sent out a warning to customers about some nefarious communication that’s reaching its users through a variety of channels. Of course, no-one wants to get stuck in a scam with the Nigerian prince and an unclaimed life insurance fund, but the same goes for your DStv account, it seems.
“There’s been a surge in the number of scams targeting our DStv customers in recent weeks,” the company said in a blog post. “Scammers use various tactics to either defraud customers of their money or to get customers’ personal information.”
“Please be vigilant,” DStv says
Even scarier, the scams span across a variety of platforms and include a myriad of dodgy strategies. One, in particular, consists of the customer receiving an email, claiming they’ve received a cash gift card or a large amount of money from Multichoice for being a loyal customer. Who won’t be absolutely delighted at the promise of free money?
It continues by phishing for the personal information needed to ‘deposit’ the supposed mountains of cash. That’s, unfortunately, how many of these scammers collect people’s personal information.
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There’s also the instance of a ‘final notice’ SMS that apparently comes from DStv. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. The message threatens the receiver with legal action if the account isn’t paid up by a certain date. It also includes banking details which… unsurprisingly, aren’t those of DStv.
Lastly, the company warns customers, and the public at large, of fake recruitment ads for Multichoice that are doing the rounds on social media and the internet. “One of our suppliers who recruits on our behalf, Afrizan, does use Facebook and Twitter to advertise roles,” it said.
Job scams have become commonplace in a country where unemployment is an ongoing problem. It’s important to understand that no job application or interview should accompany payment of any kind. “Please note that neither MultiChoice nor its suppliers will ever offer to drive you to an interview,” the blog post reads.
