If you thought sakawa was only happening on the internet, start thinking twice, because your own friend and communication aid could give you up for sakawa tricks, as there are incidents of fake promotions recorded on mobile phones. With the popular Sakawa, the perpetrators prefer to hook up with rich and influential people outside the shores of Ghana, with a whole lot of lies; tricks and promises, via internet and are able to make huge amounts of money. For this mobile phone sakawa, they believe that little drops of water makes a mighty ocean, and so they ask for little things that would cost as low as GH¢30 which will be easy to part with. A victim of this scam in Bolgatanga had a text message on her mobile phone, which read, "Congratulations, You have won GH¢3,500 on the SHELL promotion bonanza, sponsored by SPDC. Your ticket number is 8301. You are to call this office line 0246231545. THANK YOU?" I decided to call the office line with a mobile phone number that has not received the message. A male voice received the call and the following was the conversation that took place. "Male Voice: Hello, how may I help you? D.G Reporter: Please I had a text message declaring me the winner of an amount of GH¢3,500 and I want to confirm how true it is. Male Voice: What is your Mobile phone number and ticket number? D.G Reporter: 020... Male Voice: Let me cross check from our computer, (silent). No, the mobile phone number is wrong but the ticket number is right. Check the number of the mobile phone that received the message and call back. D.G Reporter: You are right, the number is 0243 __ Voice: Congratulations you have won an amount of GH¢3,500. Now we have to give you a new code number, which you will use to collect the cheque from our DHL representative where you arc. What is your voters ID card number. D.G Reporter: I don't remember, I can't trace my Voters ID card now. Male Voice: Don't worry, just buy a white envelop, and buy four of the GH¢7 50 pesewas, scratch card of MTN because of the number that received the message. Don't scratch the card, just mention the serial numbers to Mr. Prosper and then put them into the envelope. Your contact will be given to our DHL representative, who will hand over the cheque to you after you have mentioned the new secret code number, we will be generating with the serial numbers of your scratch card. Congratulations and hurry up." I did not comply with the directive and the fake office line, 0246231545 kept calling, probably to lure me to buy the scratch cards so they can either sell or make other use of the units. A source at the office of SHELL Ghana, said the company is not running any promotion and no one should take the text message serious, since it's a 419 Sakawa move. Source: Daily Guide