Assam: Scammers offer free iPhone; fleece money from gullible in Guwahati

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Scams are raining down, and the latest one involves giveaways or freebies from well-known brands or stores. This kind of scam is usually done over WhatsApp, and a few people in Guwahati have also received such calls or voice messages, saying they are the winners of an iPhone or something equally valuable.

The roots of such scams lie in giveaway marketing, where companies give you sample products, like a sachet of shampoo, to advertise their product and do a market survey. Many brands have become popular this way, and scammers are now taking advantage of their popularity.

The latest scam involves Zam Zam Electronics, a digital and electronic products’ shop in Dubai owned by two brothers. They often release Instagram reels or YouTube shorts featuring the brothers giving away free iPhones or smart watches to random customers who visit their store. Recently, an announcement was made, real or otherwise, of the store giving away one lakh iPhones to selected people who like or comment on their reels or shorts, as the case may be.

A potential victim gets a message that he or she is the winner of an iPhone 14 Pro Max from Zam Zam Electronics, and it is with a local courier, whom you have to call. A box number, usually 8, is mentioned. The scammer says you have to claim the box, quoting the number. To get you enticed, the caller says the value of the goods you’ve won is in lakhs.

Once that step is over, you are told that courier charges have to be paid, of which you will pay half and the sender, Zam Zam, will pay half. For example, if it’s Rs 8,000, you pay Rs 4,000, and Zam Zam pays Rs 4,000. Once you pay the amount, the scam starts. The caller will say there is some issue with Customs Department and you have to pay a certain charge. Then crops up the matter of GST duties, which every law-abiding citizen has to pay. Such is the pressure exerted by the caller that you cannot even back out, as he will say the courier or Customs has been paid. The calls vary only slightly for different recipients.

It is time to beware of such calls. Any brand or store will not send you stuff directly without first announcing a list of such winners. It’s only due to the greed of getting a valuable item for free that a victim becomes hooked. Let your common sense prevail. If you have already become a victim, inform the police.

Assam Police issues warnings about scammers from time to time, asking people not to respond to anyone offering freebies, not to mention your account details, etc. Victims can also contact the local cybercrime cell or www.cybercrime.gov.in.

 Also Read: Accused in Assam CM's Relief Fund Theft Linked to Manipur CM's Fund Scam (sentinelassam.com)

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