Class VIII

Spreadsheet

Definition:
A spreadsheet application is a computer program such as Excel, OpenOffice Calc, or Google Docs Spreadsheets.

It has a number of built in features and tools, such as functions, formulas, charts, and data analysis tools that make it easier to work with large amounts of data.

The term is also used to refer to the computer file created by the above mentioned programs.

In this sense, a spreadsheet is a file used to store various types of data.

The basic storage unit for a spreadsheet file is a table.
In a table, the data is arranged in rows and columns to make it easier to store, organize, and analyze the information.
In Excel an individual spreadsheet file is referred to as a workbook.
A term related to this is worksheet, which, in Excel, refers to a single page or sheet in a workbook. By default, Excel has three worksheets per workbook.


Cell


Definition: In any spreadsheet program such as Excel, each rectangular box in a  row worksheet is referred to as a cell.
A cell is the intersection point of a column and a row.
Data entered into Excel is always stored in a cell. Each cell can hold only one piece of data at a time.
In the newest versions of Excel there are over 17 billion cells in each worksheet.
To keep track of where data is stored, each cell has a cell reference consisting of the column letter and row number of where the cell is located.
Examples:
Click on cell B3 and enter the following data.



Active Cell
Definition:
In a spreadsheet program such as Excel, the active cell is identified by a black border or outline surrounding the cell.
The active cell is also known as the current cell or the cell that is in focus.
When an action takes place in the spreadsheet - such as data entry, formatting, or deleting data - it is the active cell that is affected.
For example, data can only be entered into a worksheet one cell at a time and the active cell is the place where that data will be located.
The active cell can be moved using the arrow keys on the keyboard or by clicking on another cell with the mouse pointer.
If the mouse pointer or arrow keys are used tohighlight more than one cell in a worksheet so that the black outline surrounds several cells, there is still only one active cell - the cell with the white background color.
If data is entered when more than one cell is highlighted, the data is only entered into the active cell.

Also Known As: Current Cell



Column

Definition: Columns are a fundamental part of any spreadsheet program such as Excel.
Columns run vertically in a worksheet.

Each column is identified by a letter in the column header starting with Column A and running through to Column XFD.

Row


Definition: Rows run horizontally in an Excel worksheet.
Each row is identified by a number in the row header.

There are more than one million rows in each Excel worksheet.

Cell Reference
In Excel, a cell reference identifies the location a cell or group of cells in the spreadsheet. Sometimes referred to as a cell address, a cell reference consists of the column letter and rownumber that intersect at the cell's location. Note that when listing a cell reference, the column letter is always listed first.

  • Cell references are used in formulas, functions,charts, and other Excel commands.
  • While references often refer to individual cells such as A1, B38, or Z345, they can also refer to a group or range of cells.
  • Ranges are identified by the cell references of the cells in the upper left and lower right corners of the range. 
  • The two cell references used for a range are separated by a colon ( : ) which tells Excel to include all the cells between these start and end points.
  • An example of a range of adjacent cells would beB5:D10

Formula
Formulas in spreadsheet programs such as Excel are used to perform calculations.

Formulas can range from basic mathematical operations - such as addition and subtraction - to complex engineering and statistical calculations.

In programs such as Excel, Open Office Calc, and Google Docs Spreadsheets, formulas begin with an equal ( = ) sign and, for the most part, they are entered into to the worksheet cell(s) where we want the results or answer to appear.

Range


Definition:

A range is a group or block of cells in a worksheet that have been selected or highlighted. When cells have been selected they are surrounded by an outline or border.


Normally there is only one cell in the worksheet with a black outline. This is the active cell. Whatever command is executed by Excel affects the active cell.

Using the mouse, keyboard or Name Box, more than one cell can be selected to create a range, and commands executed by Excel will affect the entire range.
Ranges can be made up of adjacent or non-adjacent cells. Adjacent cells are all together. There are no gaps in the range. Non-adjacent cell ranges consist of two or more separate blocks of cells. These blocks can be separated by rows or columns. For non adjacent ranges, a block of cells can be of any size – from one to several hundred or even a thousand or more.
A range consisting of adjacent cells can be created by dragging with the mouse.

Model

Definition: 
THe process of representing a real world object or phenomenon as a set of mathematical equations.



Simulation

Definition:

Seeing how the model behaves under different circumstances by altering the variables.



Rule

Definition : A condition that must be obeyed in a model and is expressed as formula. 



Variable

Definition : Data which is entered in a model as input.



Label

Definition : Refers to a text entry such as a heading used to identify a column of data.



Drag

Definition : A method used to select a range of cells.


UNIT 4: MODELS AND PRESENTING NUMERIC DATA
Lesson 1: Introduction
What is a Spreadsheet Software?
Computer software for recording and analysing numerical data. Arithmetic and statistical operations can be carried out by simple instructions. Any associated graphs and diagrams that are required can also be automatically drawn.
What is a Cell?
A cell is the point at which columns and rows intersect. Sometimes they are also called fields, or boxes. They are the spaces into which you will type data. In a well-constructed database, each cell will contain a single piece of data. This data is also known as a value, and could be a number, some text, or a combination of the two. Cells can be formatted to match the type of data they contain (so, a cell containing an amount of money could be formatted as a cell containing currency, and will display values to two decimal places).
What is a Cell Reference?
A cell reference is a unique identifier that points to a particular cell.
For example, the first cell in a spreadsheet is cell A1.
What are Relative References?
Relative references will change if you move a formula containing them to a new location.
What are Absolute References?
Absolute cell references remain constant, even when moved. An absolute value is defined by adding a dollar sign ($) before the column letter and the row number.
For example, $A$1.
What Should a Cell Contain?
Cells contain data (values). Each cell should only contain one type of value.
For example, if you are creating a database containing telephone numbers, you might have one cell for someone's title, one cell for first name, one for last name, and one for telephone number.
You should never include multiple values in the same cell.
For example, it is not a good idea to put someone's title and full name in a single cell as it makes the data more difficult to work with later on (if you want to sort your list alphabetically by last name, for example).

What is format cell?

It means to apply a specifc configuration to the cell. You can right-click on the cell and select format cell from the menu options, then select the format you would like to apply to the cell.
What is a Record?
Each row contains all the values relating to a specific object. In the case of an address file, each row would contain the name and contact address for a single person. A row of linked data is known as a record.
How many types of charts/graphs are there in Excel?


Column and Bar Graphs
Column and bar graphs both have bars in their charted area. Column graphs have bars that go up and down in the shape of columns. Whereas, bar graphs use rows going across the screen from left to right. You can have either a 2D or 3D design and the columns can be stacked on top of each other or side by side. Both of these graph options have more specific styles that you can pick from to make them more visually interesting.

Pie Chart


A pie chart is a chart that shows the proportions of the parts to the whole. Usually this kind of chart is used to emphasise a specific set of information, such as how one spends a monthly budget. Also, there is a sub-chart that allows you to make a pie of a pie chart by expanding one section of the pie chart into separate parts.
Doughnut Chart


This chart is similar to a pie chart because it has a round design and shows the parts of a whole. However, this particular chart allows you to show more than one set of data. The chart is made up of rings that each can display a different set of data. This is a good chart for comparing two things that happen within the same timeframe.


Scatter Chart


Also, a scatter chart is called a scatter plot. It depicts data as a series of dots. It works well for displaying data that have two variables. If there are multiple variables, you can use a 3D scatter chart. This type of chart is used commonly for scientific information.
 
Line Chart
A line chart is used when you are tracking something set at specific intervals. These can be trends that happen over a designated period of time or specific categories. Line charts can be straight or designed with markers noting each individual entry. They can be overlapping or stacked. It all depends on how you want to display the information.
What are Formulae/Functions?
Excel has a huge library of in-built functions. These are elements that you can use in your formulas in order to manipulate data more efficiently.
For example, in order to sum all the values in a column with a normal formula, you would need to enter each value (or cell reference) into the formula. You can achieve the same result using the SUM function. SUM can accept a range of cells, so you don't need to type each cell reference individually.
How to Insert a Formula in a Spreadsheet?
Formulas are used within worksheets. They are inserted into cells, and will output a value to that cell.
For example, you might want to display the result of a formula in cell A1. To do this, you would first need to select the cell to make it active. You would type an equals sign (=) so Excel knows you are writing a formula, and then you would type the formula you want to use. When a formula is finished, pressing "Enter" will use it. The cell containing the formula will not show the formula any more; it will only show the result of the formula. However, if you select the cell, you will see the formula in the formula bar at the top of the
Excel spreadsheet.
Examples:
Consider a simple example in which you want to add the values 50 (located in cell A1), and 30 (located in cell A2). You could write a basic formula by clicking on cell A3, and typing =50+30. This will output the total of the two values, but the formula is static, meaning if either value changes, you would need to update the formula to reflect that change. You could instead write the formula with cell references. To do that, you would select cell A3 and type =A1+A2. This is a better formula, as it will automatically update if either value changes. However, if you then added dozens more values you wanted to add, you would need to add each one to your formula. For this reason, the best way to sum values in a column is to use the SUM function. To use this function you would select cell A3 and type =SUM(A1:A2).
How do you select a range in Excel sheet?
There are several ways. The simplest is to use the mouse. Click on the first cell you want. Then holding the left mouse button, drag out over the area you want to select. Another is to click on the initial cell and then holding the Shift key down, use the arrow keys to select in the direction you want. Another way is to click on the first cell and press the F8 key. Then using the arrow keys select in the direction you want.
Differentiate between a Simulation and a model?
A computer model refers to the algorithms and equations used to capture the behavior of the system being modeled. However, a computer simulation refers to the actual running of the program which contains these equations or algorithms. Simulation, therefore, refers to an instance where you ran a model. In other words, you wouldn't "build a simulation" you would "build a model", but you could either "run a model" or "run a simulation". Model and simulation are often used interchangeably and the difference between them is trivial.
Computer simulation in practical contexts
Computer simulations are used in a wide variety of practical contexts, such as:
What is Sorting?
Sorting data is an integral part of data analysis. You might want to put a list of names in alphabetical order, compile a list of product inventory levels from highest to lowest, or order rows by colors or icons. Sorting data helps you quickly visualize and understand your data better, organize and find the data that you want, and ultimately make more effective decisions.

Link to download Spreadsheet (Activity 4, Activity 5, Activity 6 of Unit 4)

Excel Rolling Dice Tutorial


Hello friends visit this page and perform this wonderful Activity through RANDBETWEEN FUNCTION and IF with AND. You will enjoy it.http://spreadsheets.about.com/od/spreadsheetlessons/ss/080218_diceroll_9.htm


Fool me once

As a small business owner in Karachi who runs a shoe factory, the often anxious Mr Saif faces numerous pressures on a daily basis. These pressures include dealing with the oft-unreliable factory workers, ensuring a regular supply of raw materials, and maintaining expensive machinery, all in an effort to manufacture products on time.
But there are certain pressures Mr Saif faces which are more frustrating than others, especially because they have little to do with his business, “I get ghalat kind of text messages and calls quite regularly. Most of them demand money and threaten me with dire consequences if I don't comply.”
Mr Saif has changed his cell phone number on numerous occasions over the years due to such unwanted calls. When he contacted the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) in Karachi, they advised him to simply ignore the calls as the criminals behind the threats clearly didn’t know anything about him beyond his cell phone number. “They [CPLC] advised me that it was likely that my number had been purchased by these people as part of a package where marketers sell a large collection of businessmen’s [mobile] numbers which they have acquired from God knows where. Due to the vague nature of the threats it seems that mass blackmail text messages are sent by miscreants trying their luck with everyone on their list. Overall, it is very stressful to deal with, but what can you do.”
Mr Saif isn’t alone. Countless businessmen in Pakistan are the victims of such SMS scams, where their lives are threatened by blackmailers who purchase such lists of affluent Pakistanis from marketers. For extortionists, once they have acquired a list of potential targets, they simply forward threatening text messages to everyone in hopes that someone will bite. Unfortunately, many businessmen end up paying the extortionists for fear of reprisal.
Software such as SMS Free Sender and SMS Caster are the weapons of choice for not only these evil criminals, but also SMS marketers in general. Both these software are easy to use, and allow users to send messages directly from the computer. Hidden behind a proxy, these culprits are virtually undetectable, unless lured in by a police sting, which is unlikely, unless their victim has enough political pull to have his/her case stand out from the sea of other victims.
Some of the basic software is free, while the high-end version is extremely cheap considering the returns. The paid version of the software even allows users to check for responses in case their victims have taken the bait, though it is likely that users of such software simply use pirated versions. For scammers on the go, countless apps can be found on the Google Play store, which also allow unlimited texts to be sent out. Worryingly, these smartphone applications are even more powerful than those on the computer, hiding the identity of abusers behind fake international numbers.
Not all users of such software have criminal intent however, and if anything, SMS marketing is a double-edged sword. Many Pakistani NGOs that provide charitable services employ SMS marketers who use such software to appeal for funds for their respective campaigns. Dozens of legitimate hospitals and mental health organisations during the Zakat time period, where fundraising is at an all-time high, gain precious donations through campaigns that take place via text message marketing.
SMS marketing has also come in handy during times of national crisis. After a 7.7 magnitude earthquake tragically shattered the lives of thousands in Balochistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), partnered with Warid Telecom in Pakistan to set up an SMS code for those willing to donate to the victims.
Mr Younas Sheikh, Warid’s Chief Commercial Officer, explained how the SMS marketing campaign would work, “It is essential that we make a collective effort to assist our fellow countrymen in this hour of need. That is exactly what we at Warid are trying to do through this campaign. We will send constant reminders to our subscribers as well as social media users in Pakistan throughout this campaign, to step forward and donate generously for the earthquake victims.”
Of course, SMS marketing campaigns are highly effective because of the potentially endless users. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has published a statistical report which states that by the end of 2013, there were nearly 130 million mobile phone users in Pakistan. It was stated that Mobilink network has the highest number of users, followed closely by Telenor, with Zong Mobile experiencing the highest level of recent growth.
It is also apparent that we as a nation love to exchange text messages. In another published report, it has been stated that between July 2012 and June 2013, nearly 316 billion SMS’ were exchanged in Pakistan. But although this is a significant growth from the same period in the previous year, according to the statistics revealed by PTA, the revenues on text messages generated by telecom companies have actually dropped. One can estimate that this is because of the cutthroat competition between telecom companies in Pakistan, which have resulted in lower prices for SMS packages available to the everyday user.
Although such cheap SMS bundles are beneficial for consumers, it also means that scammers on low budgets can buy such bundles to power their schemes. Most of the victims of these SMS crimes are the average users who receive messages informing them of prizes that may only be utilised if they send a certain amount of money to another number as a registration fee. Some of these criminal groups are so organised that they operate in large teams where each member acts out a role in the scheme, all in an effort to create an air of legitimacy.
The only fault of the victims is that they are gullible, and they should realize that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Initially, scammers used potential prizes as bait, but after users began to catch on, the shady text messages were repacked as contact numbers that carried pictures of attractive women. Once opened on a phone, these contact numbers were programmed to deliver the lonely victim’s phone balance and private information to the scammers.
You will be surprised to learn how much money criminals can earn from such schemes. Tariq, a civil engineer who scammed thousands of Pakistanis through fake websites promising jobs earned 80 million rupees before he was caught. Tariq marketed his websites extensively through mass texts. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) reported that they arrested the professional engineer from Tibba Sher Khan Village in Bahawalpur district after having him under surveillance for a reasonable amount of time. For evidence, they managed to secure several mobile SIMs, cell phones and laptops.
Of course, Pakistanis conducting SMS scams aren’t limited to their nation’s borders. In one unconfirmed account, Gulf News reported that Pushan, a 27-year-old Sri Lankan chef in Dubai, lost 16,500 dirham when he was cooked by an SMS scam. The five-star hotel employee had been saving the sizable funds for a wedding, when he received a text message that said, “Dear Sir, Congratulations. You won 2,00,000 AED … money transfer charges of 3,500 AED apply.”
When Pushan spoke to the scammer on the phone, he was convinced to transfer the ”money transfer charges” against the advice of his own family. Later, he was duped into transferring more, when he received a scanned copy of a 200,000 AED check. It was all part of a plan to fool Pushan, of course, “He called me ‘brother’. From his accent, he sounded like a Pakistani man.”
Du, a UAE-based telecom company warned their users strongly after the incident became public, “We urge customers not to share any personal information, including SIM card details, PIN and passport numbers, recharge coupon numbers, credit card details etcetera with unauthorised personnel or on public computer networks."
A few years earlier, Gulf News had reported that a Pakistani gang in Dubai had been busted for running a profitable SMS scam. The Sharjah police had noted that the gang comprised of five Pakistani nationals who had scored a total of 300,000 dirhams in only two months. The police also revealed that the gang was led by a 33-year-old male who had specialised in recruiting men from Pakistan and Bangladesh on visit visas to run his scam, which fooled its victims into believing they had won huge prizes.
Here in Pakistan, telecom companies have begun running public awareness campaigns to protect their interests against mobile phone fraud. The databases of our telecom providers already contain personal user information such as National Identity Card (NIC) numbers and full names, and naturally the representatives of these companies wouldn’t call to ask for such information during a prize promotion.
Meanwhile, PTA has started issuing public awareness notices to ensure safety for Pakistanis against spamming, marketing, unsolicited calls and SMS’. Aside from educating the public, PTA states that it is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of telecom users in the country, and warns that it reserves the right to initiate legal proceedings against culprits through the Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganization Act of 1996.
If you receive a suspicious text message, PTA says that you should forward it through an SMS to the special complaint number 9000, where it will be investigated by the authorities.

Slicker by the dozen

Text messaging over the years has proved to be extremely useful, but it has brought its own set of nuisances, mainly spam (bulk SMS’ sent out for marketing/promotion) and scams (SMS-based frauds). While tech-savvy users know the technicalities of SMS and what people can do with it, there are people who are unable to differentiate a legit text from a fraudulent one. Scamming has gone digital with advancement in technology and the reason for it is lack of awareness among mobile phone users.
If you receive a text message that says you’ve won 25,000 rupees in a lottery, and urges you to call back for info (and I’m sure most of us have seen this text message once in a while), don’t do that. The sender could also claim to be from the very network you’re using. Either way, it’s too good to be true. Scammers' send out text messages in bulk to a wide array of phone numbers, thanks to the text message packages being offered at a pathetically low cost. If one of the recipients of the scammers' falls into the trap, they get their return on investment (ROI) or even more than that.
Unfortunately, when it comes to protecting a subscriber from SMS scams, the network doesn’t accept any responsibility. I contacted all the local mobile networks, and inquired about their procedure to facilitate a subscriber if s/he gets scammed over SMS. Everyone returned with, more or less, the same response: the user files a complaint against the number; the complaint is logged and forwarded to the complaints department, which takes “appropriate action” against the owner. When asked to provide details about what actions are taken, they didn’t give any proper answer. None of them provided the contact details for the complaints department so I could dig out the facts myself. What’s even more disappointing is that if you’re scammed by a user of another carrier, and you file a complaint to your own network, your complaint isn’t likely to be entertained by your network at all. They’ll ask you to contact the network that the scammer was using. That’s the level of customer service we have these days (thank you for calling , goodbye).
So, it boils down to the fact that you have to take care of things yourself, and stay aware of how scams are executed over SMS. I found out that the networks cannot provide any substantial statistics on the “reactive actions” they have taken against scammers so far. The state of “proactive actions” is even more tragic. Mobile operators don’t bother to pay direct attention to any mobile phone number which is sending out bulk amounts of text messages at once (though they do so on directions from PTA). As per the representatives of networks “it’s not our job, it’s up to PTA”. How can we actually expect the networks to do something about SMS spam, when they are the ones spamming our phones with their ads. Luckily, you can call your respective network’s helpline, and (strictly) ask them to turn off the promotional services for you (unless you want to be ‘notified’ by the latest- rather useless, information from the network). Anyway, I contacted the PTA for an official statement on SMS scamming, and they were kind enough to come up with really interesting and comprehensive facts.
Firstly, PTA has taken a significant regulatory initiative on SMS scam and spam prevention, and in this regard “Protection from Spam, Unsolicited, Fraudulent and Obnoxious Communication Regulations, 2009” (the “SPAM Regulations”) were notified on 31st July, 2009 (same are available at PTA’s website). These regulations apply to all licensed telecom operators in relation to ensuring and protecting the interest of telecom consumers by incorporating measures to control spam, fraudulent, unsolicited and obnoxious communication as provided in the regulation under the PTA’s mandate.
Furthermore standard operating procedures (SOPs) to control Spamming, Unsolicited, Fraudulent and Obnoxious Communications were established and promulgated in August 2010 by the Authority. PTA is in the process of review of these Regulations. Most significantly, anti-spam filters have been deployed by Cellular Mobile Telephone operators (CMTOs) through a huge investment that check and block in real time the generation of spamming from any telephone subscription. Cellular subscribers involved in fraudulent communication are warned and subsequently blocked on account of involvement in fraudulent communication. In terms of a few statistics, PTA received approximately 1101 individual consumer complaints on fraudulent activities against Cellular Mobile Operator (CMOs) from January 2013 to mid-February. The same were pursued with the concerned operator and redressal measures taken accordingly.
And so, I decided to discover how scammers execute their plan. A simple Google search for “SMS sending software” would be enough to take you to several sites selling bulk SMS sending software. The worrisome fact is that some of them have databases of phone numbers, categorised by cities of Pakistan, and even categorised by the recipients (doctors, students, businessmen, etcetera). But how do they manage to get their hands on such sensitive information? When I asked this question, I was told
“that’s none of your business. If you want the service, pay us for it and your job will be done”.
Many speculate that the cellular companies (or some of their employees) sell the databases of subscribers to the SMS spammers in return for a lucrative amount. This is however, unverified as of yet, and no information is available on this matter. According to PTA, simple combinations of numbers can make spam target lists, since the source of mobile phone numbers is limited. However, PTA also suggested that further information might be sought from mobile operators (question is, whom should one contact to actually inquire about such a thing?).
But it’s not like the spammers and scammers are free out there in the wild. PTA is definitely taking the best measures to control them (yet, scammers sometimes manage to sneak through). PTA has proactive measures in place for scam/spam prevention, without even the customer lodging a complaint. Anti spam filters installed at CMTOs’ networks detect spamming activity in real time as well as through offline analysis.
All SMS above the stated frequency in a given time as approved by PTA is blocked and outgoing services of the originator is blocked. And when I asked the cellular network representatives about such mobile numbers who have been blocked from PTA’s end (due to spam/scam complaints), they told that such numbers are kept blocked, even though their owners call the network’s helpline and ask why their number has been blocked (as if they don’t know!). They’re told that it’s an order by PTA, and that it isn’t under the control of the network to unblock the number.
At this point, I’d like to appreciate PTA’s proactive efforts to block SMS scam and spam. However, I’d also like to mention that there are softwares in the market that have been designed keeping PTA’s blacklisting algorithm in view (a google search for ‘bulk sms software’ yields several such results).
Since PTA’s blocking system works on a specified method, that is, if a cellular subscriber crosses the allowed threshold of outgoing messages in a given time, that number is blacklisted. These softwares solve this problem by not letting their users cross that limit, “to avoid getting blacklisted by PTA”. A more intelligent improvement in PTA’s proactive system (by reverse engineering these softwares designed to bypass the blocking system) would be sufficient to put an end to SMS spam and even scams once and for all.
The earlier forms of scam messages used to trick the recipient into thinking they have won free balance which can be attained by dialling a specific code or sending a message on a particular number... Pretty soon, awareness increased and people became aware of these SMS scams. But this scamming method remained valid till date. The efforts done by cellular companies need to be appreciated here (although most of the credit goes to PTA for ordering them to do so)- they improved the balance sharing system, and added verification in it.
You might’ve noticed that whenever you try to share balance with someone, you get a confirmation message that essentially means “you’re about to share balance with this person, are you sure?” This helps people avoid scams and change their decision at the last minute. According to PTA, telecom licensees were further directed that balance transfer facility shall only be activated through an explicit consent/request from the subscriber. A white list of short codes is being maintained by the licensees and any short code outside the white list is blocked at the cellular operator’s network. Moreover, Operators are to block any SMS containing fraudulent strings (e.g. ***, ### etcetera) and resultant balance transfer.
Scammers have been exploiting certain networks’ features for quite a while now, and cellular companies are trying to control them. For instance, there used to be a scam message that would tell you that you’ve received a voice message, and you need to dial a code to listen to it. The code would send balance to the scammer. The networks started publicizing about SMS scams, sending text messages on how not to enter any code that someone tells you (as mentioned above, it’s PTA’s effort to control the scamming).
PTA has taken a number of steps to educate the public in general and telecom consumers in particular to beware them from fraudulent activities and not to fall in the trap of such unscrupulous elements. They have run media campaign for the awareness of telecom users on the subject issue. Mobile operators also give ads in the media for their subscribers and issue disclaimers at the time of promoting prize schemes. Numbers of advertisements campaigns have also been published in nationwide press and run on TV/radio channels for the awareness of the general/public. Have a look at some of these ads that appeared in the newspapers here.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
If you ever receive a message regarding something you’ve won, be sceptical about it. Ask yourself: Does it look legit? Did you ever even participate in a competition which the text message claims you’ve won? If the sender identifies to be some official person from the network, why are they using a common phone number instead of a dedicated network number? Even if the text message has your phone number or even your name written in it, doesn’t mean it is legit. You can always file a complaint on PTA’s hotline (toll-free) at 0800-55055 or the other numbers that you can see in these PTA ads. The complaint can be against any phone number from which you believe you received a scam/spam message.


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