Victims
say
they
are
being
tricked
into
paying
between
US$5
and
US$10,
after
which
the
websites
disappear
or
become
inaccessible,
leaving
them
without
the
promised
services
or
refunds.
Police
say
the
scams
are
being
run
through
fake
websites
and
social
media
adverts
designed
to
resemble
official
platforms
linked
to
telecoms
giant
Econet
Wireless
and
its
mobile
money
service
EcoCash.
Bulawayo
police
spokesperson
Inspector
Nomalanga
Msebele
said
the
fraud
cases
were
increasing
and
were
increasingly
targeting
people
seeking
affordable
internet
access.
“On
EcoCash-related
fraud
cases,
we
are
dealing
with
criminals
who
are
setting
up
fake
websites
that
pretend
to
offer
services
such
as
free
data
bundles,
gift
vouchers,
or
even
soft
loans.
These
platforms
are
designed
to
look
genuine,
but
their
aim
is
to
deceive
members
of
the
public,”
she
said.
“They
usually
demand
a
so-called
registration
fee,
then
proceed
to
request
personal
details
such
as
phone
numbers,
national
ID
numbers,
and
EcoCash
account
information.
We
want
the
public
to
clearly
understand
that
these
are
not
legitimate
services.”
She
added
that
the
fake
sites
were
often
near-perfect
copies
of
official
company
pages,
making
them
difficult
to
detect.
“In
most
cases,
these
websites
are
fake
copies
of
real
companies
like
Econet.
When
you
look
closely,
you
will
find
that
Econet
itself
has
nothing
to
do
with
these
pages,”
she
said.
“We
are
urging
members
of
the
public
to
always
verify
information
before
they
enter
any
personal
details.
If
unsure,
go
directly
to
official
Econet
offices
or
verified
platforms.
Do
not
trust
links
sent
through
unknown
messages
or
social
media
advertisements.”
Some
residents
say
they
have
already
lost
money.
One
victim,
Tafadzwa
Gumbo,
said
he
was
drawn
in
by
an
advert
promising
free
data
after
a
small
payment.
“I
saw
a
post
saying
I
could
get
30GB
of
data
if
I
paid
only
US$5.
It
looked
real
because
it
had
Econet
logos
and
even
comments
from
people
saying
they
had
received
the
data,”
he
said.
“I
followed
the
instructions,
paid
the
money,
and
filled
in
my
details.
After
that,
the
website
stopped
opening.
I
tried
to
go
back,
but
everything
was
gone.”
Another
resident,
Rudo
Chikomo,
said
she
was
persuaded
to
pay
more
after
initially
falling
for
the
scheme.
“They
first
told
me
to
pay
US$5,
and
I
paid
thinking
I
would
get
a
loan
or
some
benefits,”
she
said.
“After
I
had
already
paid,
they
said
I
needed
to
upgrade
to
a
premium
package
and
pay
another
US$10
for
a
bigger
loan.
The
next
day
the
website
refused
to
open.
That
is
when
I
realised
it
was
a
scam.”
Police
have
urged
the
public
to
avoid
clicking
on
unsolicited
links
and
to
verify
all
EcoCash-related
promotions
through
official
channels.