JOHOR BARU: When manager Willie Ng got a call informing him that he had won an iPhone 12 Mini just by subscribing to The Star, he thought he was about to become a victim of a scam.

       However, his doubts were put to rest after he sent an email to the company to verify the authenticity of the call that he received earlier.

       “I certainly did not expect that my habit of reading The Star, which I have been doing daily since I was in school, could win me a brand new smartphone. I am still in disbelief,” said Ng, 38.

       “I first subscribed to the physical newspaper before switching to the digital subscription which allows me access to the news while I am on the go.

       “With so many sources of news and fake news available these days, I know I can always count on The Star for accurate information,” said Ng, who lives in Sibu, Sarawak.

       He won the top prize in the Star50 Subscribe and Get Rewarded contest held in conjunction with Star Media Group’s 50th anniversary celebration.

       The three-series contest is open to everyone who subscribes to any of The Star’s one-year plan for news-related products.

       The first series of the contest ran from March 11 to May 31.

       As for 43-year-old Chin Chee Ho from Penang, he was thrilled to find out that he had won the second prize in the contest, which was a 55” Samsung 4K Smart TV.

       “The prize came at the right time as my old TV was no longer functioning and I bought a box television set as a temporary replacement.

       “I am also getting ready to move into my new house in Bayan Lepas by the end of the year so the new TV will definitely be a nice addition,” said the senior engineer at a manufacturing firm.

       Chin said he and his wife have been loyal readers of The Star for the past 10 years and did not expect to get rewarded for reading the newspaper.

       “Although my subscription comes with a digital copy of the newspaper, I still prefer flipping through the physical newspaper, especially the sports section which I enjoy the most.

       “It is also handy to have physical copies of the newspaper at home for us to reuse and recycle,” he said, adding that he was also trying to encourage his two children to take up the habit of reading newspapers.

       Meanwhile, Voong King Yee, who walked away with the third prize, is a big fan of The Star’s ePaper.

       “I have been an avid reader of the newspaper for the past four decades, since my university days.

       “I switched to the digital newspaper because it is more convenient for me to get my news on my smartphone and I can even access it while I am overseas,” he said.

       The 60-year-old from Petaling Jaya said that he was aware of the contest but did not expect to win a 14” HP Pavilion Notebook.

       “It was a pleasant surprise and I will definitely keep the laptop for myself as it is time to upgrade my old computer, where I often get my news updates from,” he added.

       There were also 30 consolation prizes given out, comprising RM200 Shopee vouchers.

       Series 2 of the contest is ongoing until July 31.

       Stand a chance to win Samsung devices and Shopee vouchers.

       For details, go to subscribe.thestar.com.my/star50/