14 DAY TRIAL // Advance-fee fraudsters are targeting UK mobile users in a scam that involves impersonating employees from Samsung, NatWest Bank and the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
An outfit called Scam Detectives reports that this particular scam starts with an SMS message, informing potential victims that they won a prize and asking for their email address.
After responding with the email address, the SMS recipients are contacted by someone claiming to be a prize administrator for Samsung Electronics UK.
This alleged Samsung employee tells victims that they won £550,000 as part of a promotion and sends them an award certificate, which appears to be signed by the company's own chief executive officer.
Users are also informed that the money are being held in a temporary account at NatWest and are instructed to contact the bank at a certain phone number.
When calling the number, victims are told that they need to obtain a "Fund Release Order" from the FSA, which requires them to provide a copy of their passport and pay the sum of £950.
They are then contacted via email by the alleged head of the FSA, which provides them with an application form to fill in and an account number to deposit the fee.
If they pay up, users receive a fake fund release order and then find the alleged NatWest phone number disconnected.
"NatWest would NEVER contact a customer by email or SMS asking them to contact us in this manner, regardless of the nature of their business with the bank.
"If you are asked to contact NatWest by any party, you should visit our website at Natwest.com and call us on the most appropriate telephone number for your enquiry," a bank spokesperson said.
A Samsung representative has also confirmed that the "Samsung Mobile International Promo," that touts large cash prizes, is a scam.