Watch out! Fake Xiaomi 'deals' circulating to fool people
Manu Jain, the Global VP and India head of Xiaomi, has raised alarms over a scam that could fool unsuspecting fans of the Chinese company. He retweeted a message claiming to offer Redmi Note 6 Pro at an unbelievable price and emphasized that the text was fake and that people should be wary of such online/offline scams. Here's all about it.
People receiving Xiaomi 'deal' messages
On January 13, Twitter user Jatan Agarwal flagged a fake message that claimed to offer Redmi Note 6 Pro, the latest mid-range smartphone from Xiaomi, at just Rs. 11. The message seemed like an official one from Xiaomi - with sender's name displayed as 'HP-MISALE' - and carried a link to purchase the phone that actually retails at Rs. 13,999.
Here's the fake message
Manu Jain, Xiaomi saw the message, issued warning
After taking note of the fake message tweet, Manu Janu retweeted it and said, "This is fake! Please do NOT believe such msgs." Even Xiaomi's official Twitter account stepped into the matter and said, "We would like to inform you that no such call/email/message was made/sent from Xiaomi. We would also request you to exercise caution when you receive such suspicious communication".
So, what does the scammer want?
The goal behind this message remains unclear, but normally, scams like these are targeted to phish people into giving away their details. You would think you're paying for a smartphone on offer, but actually, you'd be giving away the username, password of your banking account. Once you make the payment, the details would go to the scammer, who could then wipe your account clean.
Here's how you can avoid such scams
You cannot stop scams, but you can take steps to make sure you're not the one falling for them. For this, always check the official website/social media account of a brand to make a purchase or look for offers. Additionally, never open links or enter your personal details for something that sounds too good to be true - whether it's a text or ad.
