Claim: The Nokia 3310 model was made with a gold deposit worth about N2.5 million.
Verdict: Findings revealed that gold was not part of the materials used to produce the Nokia 3310. The claim is false.
Full Text
A TikTok user with the profile King Abdallah, in a video, claimed that the Nokia 3310 model contains gold particles valued at about N2,500,000. He added that the brand, especially in remote rural communities in Nigeria, could be up for trading at cheaper rates. Hence, a soft money-making opportunity presented itself to individuals interested.
Mr Abdallah asserted that in an attempt to monetise TikTok, users waste valuable time and resources to produce and distribute created content. Instead, he insisted, users should venture into trading gold lanced in Nokia 3310 to make huge profits.
Since 4th Feb. 2024, the post has generated 13,700 likes, 868 comments, and 779 shares. The comment section housed differing views. Some expressed doubt and suspected the claim to be unbelievable while others supported the idea, describing it as a profitable venture that was worth their investments.
A TikTok user, Idris Hodo commented, “I have the phone model, how can you come for it and I get the money?” Another user, Isah Sani Yaro, committed, “This is serious. I swear I have it.”
However, Hamisu Suleman dismissed the claim, saying, “Hey, it is not true.” Similarly, another user, Ahmad Ajangu said, “It is a scam! If you are serious, contact me, and I will prove you wrong.”
Verification
To start with the verification, DUBAWA interviewed Nokia phone repairers. Findings revealed that the Nokia 3310 was not produced with golden sediments.
Ubandoma Kaye, a Nokia repairer who owns a shop at the famous Bauchi GSM market, said there is no iota of truth that the Nokia 3310 model has gold particles in it.
“It is a deception strategy to misinform members of the public about Nokia products. The parts of the board of the phone that may appear to people like gold were made up of copper, zinc, and aluminium,” he clarified.
Similarly, Fahad Aliyu, a dealer and repairer of Nokia phones, told DUBAWA that there is no gold on the board of any Nokia phone brand.
“It is a social media hype meant to deceive people about the product. Nearly 90 percent of the materials used to produce Nokia phones are plastic and stainless metals,” Mr Fahad said.
We further scrutinised the Environmental Profile of Nokia 3310 from the company’s website. Gold was not listed on the materials used to assemble the product.
“Through careful material selection, we aim to reduce the environmental impact of our products. The list below shows the estimated proportions of the materials used to create this mobile device: plastics 44 percent; battery 27 percent; metals 22 percent; ceramic materials 7 percent and other 1 percent,” Nokia wrote.
Conclusion
Based on the evidence gathered, the claim that the Nokia 3310 phone was produced with substances claimed to be gold particles is not valid. The phone was assembled using materials that can be recycled, such as ceramic, plastics, batteries, and glue. The claim is false.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with WikkiTimes, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
