Samsung says online $3 Galaxy S10 smartphone promotion is fake

SINGAPORE - Have you seen an article online promoting Samsung's Galaxy S10 phone for an unbelievable price of $3? It is fake, said the tech giant.

Samsung also warned the public to beware of "too-good-to-be-true" deals after the fake article on the $3 deal made the rounds online.

The Galaxy S10 smartphone, which launched here in March, retails for $1,298.

The phone maker told The Straits Times on Tuesday (Sept 24) that it has contacted Facebook to request the removal of any posts on the fake article.

A Samsung spokesman said: "We wish to confirm that this promotion is not organised, authorised or endorsed by Samsung Electronics Singapore and has no relation to us or any of our affiliates."

The article was brought to ST's attention on Monday by a reader. It was "updated" later in the day to remove any mention of the deal but was back again by Tuesday evening.

The fake report claimed that Samsung was working with its distribution partner to give out the Galaxy S10 phones because the company was trying to increase its market share in Singapore.

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The report also had "reviews" by satisfied customers who had apparently received their new phones, with one claiming he had "risked" paying $3 for one because it was less than a cup of coffee.

A string of comments left below the article also featured many who praised the deal for being "amazing" and who claimed that there were "only 43 (phones) left".

The fake article prompted readers to "visit the official S$3 Samsung Galaxy S10 promotion" site, which asked visitors for personal details such as their name, home addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers.

IT security experts have advised consumers not to enter their personal information into such suspicious sites as cyber crooks could misuse and abuse the data to commit further crimes such as scams.

A search online found that similar "promotions" had circulated in the United States, New Zealand and other countries in previous years, although these largely used Apple's iPhones as bait.

Those fake promotions, like the latest Galaxy S10 one, inevitably quoted a Joel Branson as the marketing director giving various explanations on why the company was initiating the time-limited deal.

Samsung said on Tuesday that consumers should remain vigilant when encountering these articles as they may result in identity theft or other forms of fraud.

•Not sure if something is fake news? Readers can send an e-mail with their questions and a link to the suspect article to askst@sph.com.sg

•Reports published can be found on the ST website under a special "fake news debunked" section at http://str.sg/fake-news

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.