• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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NCC raises alarm on Davido Airtime and Data Giveaway scam

NCC raises alarm on Davido Airtime and Data Giveaway scam

The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has on Tuesday issued a warning to Nigerian telecom consumers about an ostensibly syndicated group attempting to defraud unsuspecting members of the public by exploiting the generosity of Nigerian singer David Adeleke, better known by his stage name as Davido.

Davido publicly declared his donation of N250 million to Nigerian orphanages, which was made possible by monetary gifts from friends, fans, and colleagues alike, after he filmed a viral video requesting his friends to send him money on his birthday.

In a signed statement by Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs, NCC, the commission stated that this group of scammers are exploiting Davido’s benevolence rolling out an advert titled “Davido Airtime and Data Giveaway” which went viral, claiming that the singer is giving out free 5K Airtime and 10GB Internet Data of all networks to celebrate his birthday.

“This is a scam,” NCC warned.

Read also: NCC alerts users as hackers target telcos

The commission advised all telecom customers to ignore the ad and similar massive enticements, describing them as “social engineering rip-offs” designed to obtain people’s Mobile Stations Integrated Services Digital Network (MSISDN) and other personal information so that fraudsters can later defraud members of the public.

“In the advertorial, the general public is urged to hurry and get the gift by clicking on the links that supposedly redirect them to network sites, where they will be credited with airtime and data,”Adinde said.

Adinde in the statement explained that MSISDN the phone number and other protocol information, he also stated that any unscrupulous persons or unethical hackers can use the numbers and attendant protocol to undermine the privacy of the real owners of the number through identity theft and other scams.

Reiterating its earlier warning the commission advised telecom users to be cautious and identify scam promos that look too good to be true.

“The Commission will not rest on its oars in empowering telecom consumers with the requisite information and education in order to protect them from cybercriminals determined to use the telecom platforms to perpetrate frauds,” Adinde said.