A Nigerian woman has raised the alarm after falling victim to a fake ₦50,000 Federal Government cash grant scam. The incident occurred after she clicked a WhatsApp link promising Nigerians a cash grant, which led to scammers draining her bank account and hijacking her Telegram account. The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, narrated her experience in a video shared by YabaLeft Online on X, crying and warning others against falling victim to similar messages.
According to the woman, she had repeatedly received messages containing links to the supposed ₦50,000 relief payment but ignored them until a friend convinced her to try one. She said the friend claimed to know someone who had received the money, making her believe the offer was genuine. The woman explained that after clicking the link, she was instructed to complete several tasks, including sharing the message with five or 10 people.
The experience worsened when the website redirected her to join a Telegram bot while completing the registration process. She claimed that her Telegram account was subsequently hacked, leaving her distressed and pleading for help. The woman lamented that since the scammers took her account number, they had been making unauthorised withdrawals from her account.
A variation of the fraudulent message circulating on WhatsApp claims that the Federal Government, through the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, is offering ₦50,000 to all Nigerians without requiring their Bank Verification Number (BVN). The message directs recipients to a website, billnova.online/fg50k, and encourages them to share the link with others.
However, the website is not an official government platform. The Federal Government's National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) programme is real, but its ₦50,000 payments are intended for selected vulnerable households identified through existing national records, not everyone who completes an online form. Beneficiaries are contacted directly through approved payment providers like Opay, Moniepoint, etc.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has also warned Nigerians about phishing schemes that impersonate government agencies and other trusted organisations to steal sensitive personal and financial information. The commission advised anyone who has submitted banking details through a suspicious link to immediately contact their bank to secure their account and report unauthorised transactions.
The incident has renewed warnings about fraudulent websites exploiting government relief programmes to target Nigerians. To avoid falling victim to such scams, it is essential to verify the authenticity of messages and websites before providing personal and financial information. The official programme website for the NERSI programme is https://fmhapr.gov.ng/nersi/.
Key points
- The fake ₦50,000 FG relief payment link is a phishing scheme aimed at stealing sensitive personal and financial information from unsuspecting Nigerians.
- The Federal Government's National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) programme is a genuine initiative, but its payments are only for selected vulnerable households identified through existing national records.
- Nigerians are advised to be cautious when receiving messages with links or attachments from unknown sources and to verify the authenticity of such messages before taking any action.
