Scam Alert – MTN 15 year competition
On 5 May 2009 I received a SMS saying:
MTN is giving away: thousands of handsets, 87 Mini PC’s, 14 Toyota Fortuner, and 1 House Bond of R1.000.000! Text “15″ to 37187 (R7.5) and start winning…
That is all
So I thought “GREAT” , R7.50 is not that much and replied.
BUT then……
To my dismay I received a SMS asking me for more details. I cannot remember, think it was my name. This SMS also cost R7.50. I answered that one as well. Then received another SMS asking for something else, again at R7.50. I then realised that they keep on sending you the one sms after the other and each one cost you R7.50.
So before I continue please note that this MTN competition seems to be in my opinion a big SCAM . They mislead you and they do not give you the correct information. They want you to believe that you stand a chance to win the said prices by sending a SMS costing you R7.50.
Even on their web site they only say:
Our 15 years! Your moment to win big!It´s MTN´s 15th birthday and you’re invited to join our mobile SMS quiz from
the 30-04-2009 to 09-08-2009 to stand a chance of winning:
- 1 HP Mini-Note PC every day!
- 1 Toyota Fortuner every Sunday!
- 1 House Bond worth 1 MILLION RAND at the end of the promo
There are also 8 000 stylish Handsets and loads of free Ringtones and
Caller Tunes up for grabs during the course of the competition.In order to take part, MTN subscribers must text “15″ to the premium 5-digit
number 37187 (all SMS charged at R7.50) to opt-in for the competition.
Nowhere do they tell you that they catch you in a web and that you will have to answer numerous SMSes which will each cost you R7.50.
So obviously I was very upset and still is. I decided to report them. I went to http://www.waspa.org.za/ to report them. I sent an email and received no reply. I sent another email and again received no reply. For those who do not know, WASPA is the regulator of these premium rated SMS business. Apparently they do a good job at regulating all the new start-ups and small businesses but it seems as if they turn a blind eye to the dealings of big brother MTN. (Afterwards I learned that MTN is not affiliated with them so they have no control over MTN)
It seems as if big brother MTN can break all the rules and do whatever they want. That is one thing that still has to be sorted out in South Africa and that is the Mafia attitude of big companies like MTN.
So if you do want to join their competion please note that their offer is totally misleading and you will be in for numerous R7.50 SMSes not only one.
The banks and other credit providers are regulated by the FAIS and FICA acts, but who are governing the SMS industry. Is there anybody who prevent big companies to exploit clients this way?
Well Done ASASA
I see in the IT Web today that ASASA took on this matter. Read the full story at http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/2009/0909071040.asp
I like the part where MTN says “MTN also submitted to the ASASA that “all entrants knew by the second SMS that they were playing a game, and by implication, multiple SMSes would have to be sent”.
That means that they thought it is OK if each clients sends at least one R7.50 sms without knowing what will come next.
Ek stem saam met al die mense, hierdie is die grootste klug wat MTN aangevang het die “wonderlike maatskappy” wat sy kliente so uitbuit. Ek gaan my kontrakte kanselleer met hulle.Ek het ook aan die kompetisie deel geneem. Ek bel hulle na 21 dae om te hoor waar is die pryse wat ek gewen het. Die Aap se vir my my rekening is nie betaal nie. Ek het nog nie eens my rekening ontvang nie. Ek dink MTN het sy naam gat gemaak en hom aan bedrog spul skuldig gemaak. Ek het kamma ‘n rekenaar gewen maar kan dit eers ontvang as my rekening betaal is wat ek deur die R7.50 sms ‘e opgebou het.Ek kon maar net sowel my rekenaaar by ‘n rekenaar winkel vir baie goedkoper gekoop het.Ek is baie teleurgesteld op die wyse wat MTN hul sake reel en ek hoop hierdie saak word in die media openbaar gemaak sodat hierdie ongerymdhede openbaar gemaak word.
@Josephine Let’s hope they get into big trouble because they surely mislead the community with their SMSes
Thanks Josephine, that is a most interesting comment. I stopped after the second SMS and realized that they were busy scamming me. So I never even bothered to check my bill.
@Glen No way, I have just received my second bill from MTN with competition money deducted and it is hectic, believe me. Apparently the winner had to spend R50000 to win his Fortuner. Of course, MTN could have given him a Porsche with all the money they received. I do believe that the manner in which the SMS are worded coupled with the timing of their billing will get them into big trouble. Who knows, maybe they will have to cough up.
I was one of the unlucky easily duped people who entered the ridiculous competition, egged on after every sms which intimated that I was in line for something big and was doing very well. I have read the waspa rules and the way in which the sms’s were worded seem to contradict the rules. But what is blatantly sneaky and very obviously was intended to keep customers in the competition is the following: They usually send out their e-mail billing during the middle of the month, however the account for June (which had the amounts after the first few weeks of the competition) was delayed until the end of the month. So one didn’t have an idea of how much it was costing until one was well into the competition. If they had sent out the accounts when they were supposed to, nobody in their right minds would have carried on with the competition. The bill for May also showed that nothing was owed for the competition and all sms for the competition were free. I smell a huge rat here and I think they could be taken to Court for unethical practise and downright cheating.
Ok, so MTN wanted quick easy money, maybe they are in financial straits, what with Cell C taking away all their prospective business. If we look at their balance sheet, we will probably know why they caught on this KAK….. HEY THEY FOUND THEIR TARGET MARKET IN THIS WELL ORCHESTRATED SCAM AND GUESS WHO IT WAS? US THE PUBLIC DUMMIES. It sickens me to my stomach. They should be investigated, Carte Blanche here’s one for you to expose. Its disgusting and irreputable. I was also led on and on and on …………………..
Greedy greedy bastards, I wonder if our monies spent in trying to win in this competition will ever be credited to us. I should have listened to my 14 year old who said emphtically ITS A SCAM. Lets hope the other service providers have learnt from this and wont pull a stunt like this once again. I say lets bring this MTN cash cow to its knees…. with a little help from our friends, Vodacom and Cell C. SS
ek stem saam met die wat so bitterlik kla oor die mtn 15 jaar prys kompetiesie. Ek was geskok om te hoor dat dit SCAM is. WANEER? gaan die soort van “evil” ophou. dit gaan net aan en aan.Word dit nou n algemene norm wat mense soos MTN hulle nou aan skuldig maak. ek din hierdie saak moet nie daar gelaat word nie en iewers moet iemand stappe neem. Ek myself het 60050 punte op gebou. Geen prys gewen nie maar net aangemoedig om nog vrae te beantwoord. “YOU ARE SO CLOSE TO WINING THE BIG PRISE” was vir my gese. Nou kan jy dink R7.50 teen 140 vrea. ek is ook afgetree . NOU JA EK HET VERLOOR.
@Pieter What a BIG load of shit! And how’s winning employees of MTN and FNB’s family because it’s not what u know it who you know.
@Paul I would love to see the article in the pta news.
About the profits, that is something which beats me as well. These people make millions by the minute and as if that is not enough they have to go out and rip off the public even more. When is enough enough?
have somebody got a refund from mtn or somewhere for the money taken on our bill? please let us know
For all those people who feel done-in by this competition I sympathise with you and agree with your comments. The only thing I can say to help is that if you live in Pretoria, check out the headline in todays Pretoria News ! Its all about this competition. Seems there are rumours of a scam.
Personally I’d like to just say – HOW ON EARTH can MTN actually charge you for the sms – dont they make enough money from their incredibly high tarrifs ??
I am a pensioner and as I had time to answer the questions from Mtn, I amassed 740860 points. That was 500 answers,only 4 incorrect. That was a 99.2% accuracy rate. I won nothing only a massive Mtn bill. This is one very big scam and Mtn should credit my account with this very unfair amount and the Competition should be investigated as fraudulent
Ek kan nie meer saamstem as met die ander hierbo nie.
DIT IS EEN GROOT KLUG SPUL.
ALMLA IN SuID AFRIKA HET GEWOOND GERAAK AAN STEEL.
STEEL NOU OP EERLIKE OF BEDRIEGLIKE MANIER, MAAR DIT BLY STEEL. EK HET NOU 1,105,030 PUNTE BYMEKAAR GEMAAK TEEN HELSE KOSTE EN WAT WEN EK?
EEN HELSE REKENING. DIS AL.
WAT ‘N SIEK BEDROGSPUL WAT JOU AANMEKAAR VERTEL HOE NABY JY AAN WEN IS
WANNEER HOU DIT OP? NOOIT NIE . HOU NET AAN EN AAN.
MET VERKEERDE EN MISLEIDEDENDE VRAE WAT OPGESTEL IS DEUR APE WAT NIE WEET WAARVAN HULLE PRAAT NIE!!!
DIT IS EEN SAAK WAT ONDERSOEK MOET WORD. HOE GOUER HOE BETER.
MTN – JULLE ” SUCK” (Ek is maar net nog ‘n “fool” wat al vandat MTN en selfone op die mark gekom het, ‘n klient van MTN is (met 5 kontrak fone) MAAR NOU GAAN DIT END KRY
BOOOOOOO!!!!!!
EK IS NOU GATVOL VERBY !!!
I already sent ICASA two emails last weeks but up to date they did not reply to my emails. Will let you know as soon as ICASA manage to respond to my emails.
something need to be done,we have spend a lot of money for this competition,we need our money back.please invistagate this matter
I ALSO TOOK PART IN THE COMPETITION. MY POINTS STAND ON 48750 AND I DID NOT WIN A THIN. JUST KEEP ON WITH PROMMISES THAT I AM SO CLOSE TO WIN THE PC OR SO CLOSE TO THE CAR OR THE HOUSE BOND. I AM A PENSIONER AND WHEN I GET THESE SMS I GET EXCITED AND THINK I AM GOING TO BE LUCKY, GO AND BUY AIRTIME AGAIN AND WHWN THE SMS COME TO MY PHONE 12H05 EVERY DAY, I TRY AND TRY. TO-DAY I GOT A SMS TO SAY THEY HAVE RECEIVED 200 SMS’S FROM ME, YOU WORK IT OUT 200 SMS @ R7.50 PER SMS? IT’S A FORTUNE!!!!
PLEASE CART BLANCH INVESTIGATE PLEASE!!!! WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK
Thank you for that information Piet. Appolgies to WASPA.
@Pieter
The network operators are governed by ICASA. Any other third party that would like to run any premium rate service HAS to belong to WASPA. This is enforced by the network operators. So the only premium rate complaints that WASPA would not handle, would be those run by the network operators directly and where no WASPA member was involved. Some network services do involve WASPA members, in which case WASPA would deal with related complaints, and sanction the WASP member where appropriate.
Thank WASPA for responding. On your web site is an address info@waspa.org.za . I sent the first mail on 11 May 2009 and the second on 15 May 2009. In the mail I asked “I see that one can only complain about one of your affiliated companies. I also see that MTN is not affiliated with you. If I want to lay a complaint about MTN where can I do that? ”
Now that we know that you have no authority over MTN, would could you please tell us what the procedure is and where to lodge a complaint?
If you have no control over non affiliated companies, does this mean that if I run a SMS premium rated service I must just make sure I do not join any orginizations like WASPA so that nobody can regulate my business? I would appreciate if you can explain to us who is regulating comapnies like MTN then?
Apologies, that should say “Please could you drop complaints @ waspa.org.za a note”. For some reason that address got clipped from my previous post.
Hi Pieter,
WASPA representative here. Please could you drop a note with the details of where you send your original complaint? We’re a little concerned that you didn’t get any response from us, since we monitor the complaints address and all complaints logged via our complaints form very carefully.
That said, WASPA only has jurisdiction over members of WASPA. Since MTN is not a WASPA member, we do not have jurisdiction over this particular competition, and we can only refer complaints about the competition to MTN.
I whish that this competition can be stopped and investigated by Carte Blance.
Major scam, try any of the questions, answer correct or wrong and then answer the same question again, guarantee you will succeed. This is money making at it’s best.
MTN Competition MUST be stopped.
Now this is where Twitter comes in handy