For weeks, telephone subscribers have been receiving calls or beeps coming from unusual numbers. Telephone screens generally display +685 849 3472, +6768489391, +676 848 9384, +676 8489 305. And ever since, people are spreading the word: "witchcraft sect. They are gayiman - understand cyber criminal -, we read in the message shared by SMS or social networks. They are looking for sacrificial objects for their ritual, just the voice is enough", continues the sender.

Superstitious people have been quick to relay this "Hoax" to all their contacts. Mr. Essomba, telecommunications engineer formerly working with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (Minpostel), reassures that there is no reason to think of witchcraft.

He advises that the telephone country codes mentioned (+67, +68) are in theory those of South-East Asia (Indonesia, Burma, Malaysia etc). "Cameroonian hackers can indeed hide the code of the country to use those from elsewhere and scam mobile telephone company subscribers", explains Mr. Essomba.

Indeed, if you ring back one of these questionable numbers, you will be told at the end of the line that you have just won 5000 Euros in a game in which you did not participate. "All you simply need to do is block these contacts", Orange Cameroon Client Service advises.

Monique Ngo Mayag