FG Debunks Free Internets, COVID-19 Donations

Nigerians have been warned by the Nigerian Communications Commission not to fall prey of fake news being spread on the Internet by a fraudulent website.

NCC, in a statement on Thursday, identified the fake website as https://covid-19-fg-grant.blogspot.com.

The site was asking Nigerians to apply for a free Internet bundle, claiming it was a released by the Nigerian government in collaboration with NCC.

The website asked Nigerians to apply for free Internet by clicking a web link, which automatically led to a webpage with a dialogue box where they were expected to fill in their bio-data and other demographics.

The commission said, “NCC wishes to state categorically that neither the Nigerian government nor the commission has issued such a message to Nigerian citizens.”

The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, in a related development, denied circulating a letter calling for donations to fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The ministry said the letter titled, ‘Donations so far for the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria’ with reference number FMF/HMF/S-EFFE-REC/2020/1 and dated March 28, 2020, was an attempt to defraud Nigerians.

The ministry stated this in a statement released by the Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Yunusa Abdullahi.