Beware of prize scam

Dear Sir,

I write this letter to make everyone aware about the blatant misuse of our personal mobile phone numbers by certain people. They download WhatsApp in different smartphones and register WhatsApp accounts with some random mobile numbers - maybe yours.
If it is your number by any chance, you will receive the registration code on your phone as a text message. After registering your mobile number for WhatsApp connection, those people, obviously some criminal elements, will call you to inform that you have won some prize money and to avail of this,  they want to know the WhatsApp code number you have just received.
Believing that that you would get the prize money,  you  give them the code number and they register into WhatsApp by using your mobile number and the code.
They will add a profile picture with the official logo of a telecom company to your WhatsApp account.  They then make WhatsApp calls blindly to someone else, informing  him or her that he or she had won QR200,000 as a promotional offer from a company. They would ask the person to provide them with a lot of personal details, including the bank account number. And finally they will ask for the processing charges of around QR2,500 to claim the prize money!
I have personally received calls like these at least twice in the last few weeks and my wife four times. I don’t know how the cybercrimes law would treat the person whose WhatsApp connection is being misused by some criminal elements.
So please don’t hand over your WhatsApp code and other personal details to strangers calling you on phone, promising cash prizes and tantalising offers.
Shemeer P Muhammed Rawther, (e-mail address supplied)

An inspiring account

Dear Sir,

The report, “Stories of success” in the Gulf Times Community  section ( February 22) is a truly inspiring account in these times of economic depression.
The report is based on a book, called The Indian Odyssey in Qatar, written by Nilangshu Dey. The book is a tribute to  people who have worked assiduously for Qatar’s  development. I appreciate the efforts taken by the author to put on record the contributions of such people.
I feel that every resident in Qatar should read the book. There are a lot of things to learn from it.
Mrs Zarna Bhatt, (e-mail address supplied)

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