A Facebook post claims mobile telecoms company MTN is giving gifts to 20,000 people.
To win, it says, users must type “MTN” in the post’s comments section, like the page and share the post with 12 other groups.
“So many people think this is a joke and fake but most people are winning,” the post reads.
It includes three photos that seem to show gifts people have won. But the photos are unrelated.
A reverse image search of the first photo, showing a woman kneeling in front of a car, reveals it was posted on Twitter by MTN Uganda on 7 July 2018. In the background is promotion winner Julius Okiidi, who was given a Toyota Premio.
A reverse image search reveals that the second photo was posted on Facebook, again by MTN Uganda, on 17 May 2019. It’s captioned: “Today, we are at Old Kampala National Mosque as we continue sharing assorted items to our Muslim brothers and sisters in the Month of #Ramadan.”
And the third photo shows a Ford Everest car that was up for grabs in a MTN 4Ever Makoya promotion in Eswatini. A Google search for “MTN Eswatini Ford Everest” returns two articles on the promotion, from February 2019.
Africa Check asked MTN South Africa about the Facebook post.
“Kindly note that the page does not belong to MTN and we do not know anything about the promotion that they are running,” company representative Takalani Tshivhase told us.
MTN Nigeria’s customer care department said the post was fraudulent. “Kindly be informed that MTN does not have any promotional service currently being advertised on the Facebook platform. Please note that the said promotional advertisement is being sponsored by fraudsters,” they told Africa Check. – Dancan Bwire
To win, it says, users must type “MTN” in the post’s comments section, like the page and share the post with 12 other groups.
“So many people think this is a joke and fake but most people are winning,” the post reads.
It includes three photos that seem to show gifts people have won. But the photos are unrelated.
A reverse image search of the first photo, showing a woman kneeling in front of a car, reveals it was posted on Twitter by MTN Uganda on 7 July 2018. In the background is promotion winner Julius Okiidi, who was given a Toyota Premio.
A reverse image search reveals that the second photo was posted on Facebook, again by MTN Uganda, on 17 May 2019. It’s captioned: “Today, we are at Old Kampala National Mosque as we continue sharing assorted items to our Muslim brothers and sisters in the Month of #Ramadan.”
And the third photo shows a Ford Everest car that was up for grabs in a MTN 4Ever Makoya promotion in Eswatini. A Google search for “MTN Eswatini Ford Everest” returns two articles on the promotion, from February 2019.
‘Sponsored by fraudsters’
Africa Check asked MTN South Africa about the Facebook post.
“Kindly note that the page does not belong to MTN and we do not know anything about the promotion that they are running,” company representative Takalani Tshivhase told us.
MTN Nigeria’s customer care department said the post was fraudulent. “Kindly be informed that MTN does not have any promotional service currently being advertised on the Facebook platform. Please note that the said promotional advertisement is being sponsored by fraudsters,” they told Africa Check. – Dancan Bwire
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
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Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
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Further Reading
[email protected]: The challenges of working across Africa
Misinformation knows no borders and Africa Check often responds to similar false claims from country to country.
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