14 DAY TRIAL // Similar to other messaging platforms, the name of Kik is also leveraged in a forwarding hoax. Hoax Slayer has identified one of these bogus messages.
The false notification reads something like this:
“Message from Jim Balsamic (CEO of Kik Messenger): We had an over usage of user names on Kik Messenger. We are requesting all users to forward this message to their entire contact list.
If you do not forward this message, we will take it as your account is invalid and it will be deleted within next 48 hours. Please DO NOT ignore this message or Kik will no longer recognise your activation.
If you wish to reactivate your account after it has been deleted,a charge of 25.00 will be added to your monthly bill. We are also aware of the issue involving the pictures updates not showing. We are working diligently at fixing this problem and it will be up and running as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation from the Kik team”
The messages have nothing to do with Kik. Pranksters who have nothing better to do are trying to get people to spam their contacts with the bogus messages.
Kik is aware of the chain messages that leverage the company’s name. The messaging platform’s representatives highlight the fact that Jim Balsamic isn’t even the name of Kik’s CEO.
The company is aware that such messages could also be leveraged by cybercriminals. That’s why it has informed users that they’ll never be asked to hand over their password. Furthermore, the only official Kik Team account is “kikteam.” Customers are advised to report other accounts pretending to represent Kik.
In the meantime, similarly to Yahoo, Facebook, and WhatsAp, Kik is free and will remain free. Any messages stating otherwise should be ignored.