The Key Points About People Fraudulently Using the WhatPhone Name
- Some of the people who use this site have informed us of a fraud which has been perpetrated upon them.
- Scammers have called people in Australia offering phone deals which were ‘too good to be true’, and pretending that the deal came from us, WhatPhone.
- For example, one person described the offer of a ‘free iPhone’ under contract for 2 years at $20 per month. Details of the offer were posted to people with the WhatPhone logo and website used on them.
- The scammers used our brand and logo to make the offer appear more legitimate to the people they called.
- Just to be absolutely clear, WhatPhone Pty Limited does not call people on the phone under any circumstances whatsoever.
- Additionally, we do not sell phone hardware.
- We don’t even sell phone contracts.
- WhatPhone was not the only organization to suffer this fraud.
- If you are contacted by people pretending to represent WhatPhone, hang up and have nothing to do with the proposal.
The scam: An iPhone deal which is too good to be true proposed to you by scammers pretending to be from WhatPhone
We have been made aware by some of the shoppers who come to our site (www.whatphone.com.au) that, regrettably, some fraud has been perpetrated by scammers. Unfortunately, the scammers have pretended that we, WhatPhone, have been involved in some way.
We run this website to help people decide which phone plan is right for them. We’ve developed our brand and content to assist people in that aim.
Unfortunately, scammers from overseas have used that brand to add credibility to their unlikely claims. Some of the people who contacted us showed us emails the scammers had produced. For want of a better way to say it, the scammers had done a (pretty poor) ‘cut and paste’ job of our brand and livery. They falsified some very attractive iPhone offers – making it look like those offers come from WhatPhone. They do not.
Over the last 3 years, we’ve been contacted by around a dozen people, asking if the deal they have been offered is ‘Too good to be true’. We’ve told them yes, the offer the scammers have been making is too good to be true. We don’t sell phone hardware (i.e. iPhones or any other device for that matter) at WhatPhone.
This is obviously, from our point of view, disappointing and exasperating. Despite our best efforts, these frauds went on and on for a period of a year or so.
What we’ve done about this fraud being undertaken in our name
We are mortified by the fact that this has happened. It’s frustrating. The fact that the scammers are overseas makes it very hard to progress the issue.
However, we’ve taken several steps to try and put an end to these scams:
- We’ve informed the police.
- We’ve worked with those affected.
- We’ve informed scam websites so that, when someone has questions about the legitimacy of the offer they have been provided, and then search for details in Google, they will find that it is a scam.
- We have written content for our site, including this article, warning people about the scam and advising them not to get involved.
Regrettably, there is very little else we can do.
What to do if these scammers call you, pretending to be from WhatPhone
If you are called by these scammers, you’ll know they are fraudulent. The deal they are offering simply doesn’t make sense. iPhones cost more than $1000 each. There is no way they could realistically offer such cheap iPhone deals. Don’t fall for it and don’t be tempted by the promise of a new device.
What the scammers are doing is illegal. It is fraud. Report to the police.
Do not, under any circumstances, share your personal information with them. Do not give them your credit card details or address.
Remember, if it’s too good to be true, then it’s probably not true.
Update October 2021 : All of this happened in 2018 / 2019 and we haven’t heard anything from the scammers or their victims for 2 years now. We will leave this article up to inform people just in case it happens again.
If you have been affected by these scammers, feel free to drop us a line.