I would advise the National Communication Authority and the Ministry of Communications to order MTN to stop the fraud they call WIN 2010 PROMOTIONS. This promotion bears all the hallmark of “Advance Fee fraud”. MTN starts with a TEXT MESSAGE asking you to text to 2010 and win. As soon as you text, they ask you to answer one question and win. A double TEXT message is normally sent, the first question states you have the last chance to win the day’s raffle if you answered the next question. As soon as the answer is sent another double text message appears vowing that is the last and it continues that way until one gives up or runs out of units.
MTN advertised that you needed 500 easy points to grab a car. I got it, and they kept asking questions upon questions, that the 500 was not enough. They told me to activate my phone with 10 points and win. After 10 points, it states my name is 10 times in the register. I eventually clocked 2700 points on the register before quitting. Does it mean my points are 2,700 times in the register? Can this really be true – that if someone have 5,000 points, his name appears 5,000 times in the register? What kind of register is that? Someone informed me that it is given to the highest texter. If that is the case, then it is not a raffle. A raffle is a game of chance. Someone can play once while the other can play 100 times, but the one who plays once may win. My problem is why should MTN always create the impression that the TEXT question is the last leading to the raffle when infact it is never the last. This is corporate fraud of the highest degree and I would urge the National Communications Authority to ban this raffle.
Moreover, every text message cost 75Gp and while the first message notifies the texter of the fee, subsequent messages do not. It is important that every text message soliciting raffle must indicate the fee to be charged when the text is sent.
Ghanaians are already paying high rates for mobile telephony and MTN should not make take advantage of the vulnerability of the people to extract more money. I would like MTN to respond to these.
Ade Quaye Accra.
