Banner Online News

Ibrahim Magu.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has cautioned members of the public against fraudulent activities of spurious dispenser and manager of funds to vulnerable Nigerians, ostensibly to cope with the discomfort associated with the lockdown measures of the Federal Government in some parts of the country.

A statement signed by Tony Orilade, Acting Head, Media and Publicity of the commission stated that the Acting Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, who disclosed the strange development today, Tuesday, April 28, 2020, added that some faceless elements are circulating ” FREE N5000 LOCKDOWN FUNDS TO SUSTAIN DURING LOCKDOWN”.

He said, “The circulation of the fake funds is being carried out online through a phishing link via WhatsApp. The link is embedded with a link titled https://bit.ly/free-N5000. Whenever the link is clicked, it would redirect recipients of the message to a phishing website address https://fg-free-funds.blogspot.com. Visitors to this fraudulent website will find an online questionnaire from which they must respond in order to trigger the phishing”.

According to Magu, the phishing website is curiously hosted on a Google server. “However, registration information of the website is being investigated and members of the public are advised to be wary of any Lockdown Funds dressed in any suspicious garb”, he added.

It would be recalled that, the EFCC, had in a recent release, cautioned Nigerians against fake cures and donations, especially fake charities springing up purporting to offer guidelines on donations to government and ordinary Nigerians in a bid to cope with the discomfort arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Magu reiterates the commitments of the EFCC to monitor closely the antics of fraudsters cashing in on the government lockdown directives to perpetrate criminal acts. “We would not stop bursting every scheme designed to defraud Nigerians of their hard- earned money”, he said.