PETALING JAYA (Malaysia) : Fake SMS messages purportedly from Shell Malaysia are being circulated around the country.

The text messages tell the receivers that they have won prizes from Shell.

In a statement, Shell said the public should ignore the messages as the company did not use text messages to communicate with its contest winners. It said the list of winners was available on its website, www.shell.com.my, and they would also receive a phone call informing them of their win by a Shell-appointed agency.

The winner's name, MyKad number and address will be verified by the agency.

'Shell does not require any bank account number. If in doubt, please check on the website to ensure you are indeed a Shell contest winner,' the statement said.