Scammers are busy with local personalities but they are not giving them the satisfaction.
Identity theft is a type of fraud that involves using someone else’s identity to steal money or gain other benefits. This behavior has been widely noticed happening in Namibia where scammers use the names of local celebrities, entertainers and ordinary beings to ask for money from others. Dillish Mathews happened to be the latest victim whereby her name was used in an act of fraud.
According to Dillish Mathews, someone contacted her friend using her name to get N$30 000 from him. For confirmation purposes, Dillish Mathews’ friend called her to asked if she indeed asked for the money. The Back In July singer then shared conversation details of the scammer on her Instagram snaps. With the help of her followers, she found out that the number belonged to a married woman who lives in Windhoek. Dillish Mathews contacted the woman who was also using her image for WhatsApp and told her to apologize.
The Johnny hitmaker, TopCheri has also been targeted where two people used her name to ask money and through a post, she made on her Facebook she warned the general public of the scam. Robyn Nakaambo too was victimized and asked for money and nudes to regain her Instagram account that was hacked.
Here are a couple of steps to protect yourself from identity theft according to ScamWatch:
- Do not open suspicious texts or emails – delete them.
- Verify the identity of the contact by calling the relevant organization directly – find them through an independent source such as a phone book or online search. Do not use the contact details provided in the message sent to you.
- Never send money or give credit card, online account details or copies of personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust.
- Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social network sites. Scammers can use your information and pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam.
