IMMEDIATE RELEASE 25 February 2013
Peninsula Beverage Company (PenBev), local bottler of The Coca-Cola Company’s products in the
Western Cape are warning that Coca-Cola South Africa’s name is being incorporated fraudulently in a
number of phishing scams and are urging the public not to get caught.
Consumers are being warned to be vigilant when it comes to receiving a short message service
(SMS) or e-mail messages from individuals claiming to be from Coca-Cola, notifying the recipient that
they have won money in lotteries.
Spokesperson for PenBev, Denise Green has confirmed that, “The Coca-Cola Company’s different
brands and trademarks are being used without permission.” Green reiterated, “The Coca-Cola
Company is in no way associated with any SMS’s or emails requesting sensitive information in order
to redeem a prize. The Coca-Cola Company will never ask for confidential information such as an
identification number or bank account details. We urge the public not to give out any personal details.”
Phishing fraudsters attempt to develop relationships with victims to obtain personal and financial
information. Common signs that a message may be part of an email, SMS or phishing scam include
the following:
• Improper or unauthorized use of company trademarks; e.g. "World Coca-Cola Award Winner",
"The Coca-Cola Company Official Prize Notification", "The Coca-Cola Mobile Draw,” “2013
Coca-Cola Promotion" or other similar titles;
• Spelling and grammatical errors in the email;
• Sender's use of free, non-corporate email accounts (such as Yahoo!, Gmail, AOL and
Hotmail);
• Requests for personal information such as identification numbers or bank account numbers;
• Promise of quick financial gain if such personal data is provided;
• Official appearance including letterhead from a financial institution or the Company; and
• Photos of Company executives, secret pin codes or reference ticket number with contact
information for a Coca-Cola representative
If customers have fallen prey to a phishing scam the first step is to immediately discontinue all
communication with the source and report it to the authorities.
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Coca-Cola South Africa’s consumer affairs at
ccsainfo@afr.ko.com or contact Denise Green at PenBev on Tel: 021 936 5585 or e-mail:
deniseg@penbev.co.za
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Released by Reputation Matters
Media contact:
Lisa Sharland
Mobile: 076 373 4602
lisa@reputationmatters.co.za