Have you heard of this incidents?? - better be safe than sorry!

This incident happened to a colleague recently.A bad experience indeed.

He received a call from someone claiming to be calling from
Safaricom.The caller was very composed.


The caller told him 'thank you for being our loyal and valuable MPESA
customer.You recall we had initially given you a black Sim card but
changed to green".He answered in the affirmative. The caller then went
ahead to tell him that Safaricom was running a reward promotion
scheme for their loyal MPESA customers and went ahead to ask him to
confirm his National ID number and year of birth.Unsuspecting, he
disclosed that information. Coincidentally his birth year was also his
Mpesa pin no.


The guy posed for a while and asked him whether 19- - (say 1967) was
his year of birth .He again answered in the affirmative.


The caller then told him he would be sent Nokia 8230, but before then
he needed to dial *33*0000# ,which he did.He was then told not to
call or transact anything using his line for the next ten minutes as
they perfrom transactions, purportedly at Safaricom,facilitating the
process of receiving the Nokia 8230 set.He complied.He is asked about
his current location,which information he gives.


After 10 minutes he tried to call back the number to confirm status of
the alleged gift only for the following message to appear :"Barring
all outgoing calls activated for SMS services activated for all data
circuit async".


After 15 minutes the wife calls him on his alternate line claiming
that some one had called her using his (husband"s ) safaricom line
telling her to send them Ksh.10,000 for his release from arrest.She is
baffled and hence decides to use alternate line,only to discover he is
safe and sound.


In the meantime the wife calls safaricom to block the line,but it was
too late,as all the money in his MPESA had been withdrawn.


What is apparent is that this line was blocked by the code he typed
,viz *33*0000#.

The question uppermost in mind is how it could be unblocked without
some form of connivance by Safaricom staff.He had a substantial amount
in his Mpesa account.Could these thugs be getting targeting lines-with
good balances through connivance with Safaricom staff.


It is unlikely Safaricom will admit culpability, but tujichunge
wenyewe.Keep safe.

The caller identified himself as Alex Omondi(Of course fake name) and
called using 0720 464 777

It is safer to tell this caller to call back in a while whilst you
check with Safaricom customer care by dialing 100 from your Safaricom
line or 020 4272100 from land line or any other line. Do not carry out
any instructions on phone without firm confirmation that you are doing
the right thing.

Guys, kaeni chonjo tafadhali. Sambaza this story to your loved ones.

*33*0000# is a GSM standard for barring all outgoing calls without using phone menu. whether you are in Orange or whatever operator. to reverse the same is #33#0000#.

so be warned.

People are usually too eager to receive their "prizes" to realise the are being conned