Beware Coca-Cola SMS and e-mail phishing scams
Peninsula Beverage Company (PenBev), local bottler of The Coca-Cola Company’s products, are warning customers not to get caught by a number of phishing scams which they say fraudulently incorporated the Coca-Cola name.
They warned the public to be vigilant when it comes to receiving a short message service (SMS) or e-mail messages from individuals claiming they are from Coca-Cola and that they have won money in lotteries.
Spokesperson for PenBev, Denise Green, has confirmed that “Coca-Cola South Africa is a recent target, where Coca-Cola’s different brands and trademarks are being used without permission.”
“Coca-Cola South Africa is in no way associated with any SMSes or emails requesting sensitive information in order to redeem a prize,” Green reiterated. “Coca-Cola will never ask for confidential information such as your identification number or banking account details. We urge the public not to give out any of these details”
Phishing fraudsters attempt to develop relationships with victims to obtain personal and financial information, PenBev explained.
They provided the following list of common signs that an email or SMS message may be a part of a phishing scam:
- Improper or unauthorized use of company trademarks; e.g. “World Coca-Cola Award Winner”, “The Coca-Cola Company Official Prize Notification”, “The Coca-Cola Mobile Draw,” “2011 Coca-Cola Promotion” or other similar titles;
- Spelling and grammatical errors in the email;
- Sender’s use of free, non-corporate email accounts (such as Yahoo!, Gmail, AOL and Hotmail);
- Requests for personal information such as identification numbers or banking account numbers;
- Promise of quick financial gain if such personal data is provided;
- Official appearance including letterhead from a financial institution or the Company; and
- Photos of Company executives, secret pin codes or reference ticket number with contact information for a Coca-Cola representative.
If you think you have fallen prey to a phishing scam the first step is to immediately discontinue all communication with the source and report it to the authorities.
Beware Coca-Cola SMS and e-mail phishing scams << Comments and views
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