Smart ‘you have won’ scam?

jah steu · Post by **jah steu** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:07 am

Anyone know about a possible phone scam involving being called by someone claiming to be from Smart, saying that you have won a lot of money and to go and wait at your house for the Smart team and the local media to arrive?
They don’t ask for any fees or money up front. They ask you not to mention it to anyone as they want the presentation to be a surprise. I’m trying to work out how this can be a scam, other than just wasting your time as you wait for hours and nobody comes.

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Splashback · Post by **Splashback** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:20 am

Maybe you're a winner! How long did you wait? Haha

Post by **Username Taken** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:24 am

Maybe a Candid Camera set up. Keep an eye out for Allen Funt.

fax · Post by **fax** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:26 am

I received a phone call around 2 years ago saying I had won a free checkup at a nearby hospital. They asked to confirm my address and they did have the right one. I called the hospital after the call and they had of course never heard of the competition I had supposedly won.

I never worked out what they were looking for. They never contacted me again. Maybe it's a prank not a scam? No idea really but for what it's worth it was a woman speaking with good English and she claimed to be calling from Smart (which I use).

angkorjohn2 · Post by **angkorjohn2** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:56 am

jah steu wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:07 am Anyone know about a possible phone scam involving being called by someone claiming to be from Smart, saying that you have won a lot of money and to go and wait at your house for the Smart team and the local media to arrive?
They don’t ask for any fees or money up front. They ask you not to mention it to anyone as they want the presentation to be a surprise. I’m trying to work out how this can be a scam, other than just wasting your time as you wait for hours and nobody comes.

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1. What number showed up on your phone? - when SMART HQ call it is usually always 888 so difficult to fake
2. DId they ask for your details or did they know who they were calling?
3. Are they inviting you to their shop and to bring I.D. or are they saying they come to your house?

As far as I'm aware, in cases of winners they will call ask to confirm it is you, have you come to the shop (if PP one of the main branches at head office) with your phone and I.D. and you will then get whatever prize it is and they take photos with the other winners at a presentation. So if a negative to any of the above 3 it may be a scam.

Captain Bonez · Post by **Captain Bonez** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:08 am

angkorjohn2 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:56 am 1. What number showed up on your phone? - when SMART HQ call it is usually always 888 so difficult to fake

This.

I've won from smart before and they call from 888. You can go on their website and they have an instant messenger you can use to speak to someone to clarify, or go to/phone the head office on Monivong down by the Rock club.

jah steu · Post by **jah steu** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 4:25 pm

Update: yes it was a scam. A variation on the “you’ve won a big prize but you have to send us a small amount of money first as a fee before you can collect the prize”.
It was a khmer family member so I don’t know all the details. When they initially called they didn’t mention any fees. They just told him to wait at his house in Takeo with his ID card, and to buy $20 worth of coconuts to provide refreshing coconut juice for the Smart guys when they arrived!
In a subsequent call they asked for $350 in various fees so that he could get ‘the big prize’. He didn’t pay.

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jah steu · Post by **jah steu** » Mon Jun 17, 2019 4:33 pm

About a year ago, three or four of our staff were almost sucked in to another version of this scam. Nigerians sent them photos of an open box full of electronic goodies like iPhones and laptops.
The Nigerians messaged the staff telling them that they loved them and wanted to send them this big box of desirable items. After building up the tension, they would tell the staff that all they had to do was send $300 to an ‘import company’ in Phnom Penh for ‘customs clearance’.
We managed to dissuade any of the staff from sending the money, even though a couple of them were really convinced that it was a genuine deal.

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CEOCambodiaNews · Post by **CEOCambodiaNews** » Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:26 am

Two of these scammers were arrested two days ago.
newsworthy/south-african-man-nwosu-mart ... 29624.html