IN SHORT: Multiple Facebook accounts are claiming to offer loans from the United Bank for Africa to Nigerians. But steer clear – the offers are fake.
The accounts Uba Quick Loan Service, U.B.A NG LOAN, Customer care services, UBA Loan Registration Service and UBA LOAN are all offering loans to Nigerians on Facebook.
The accounts are using the name and logo of the United Bank for Africa (UBA). UBA is a financial institution that operates in several African countries, providing a range of banking services.
One such post offering loans, published 10 May 2025, reads: “Are you a UBA Old/New customers? Are you a business owner, self employed or a cooperate business. You can apply for the UBA NO WAHALA LOAN today to give your business the support it needs with our Low Loan interest rates.”
The page features a graphic showing the amount that users can borrow – without disclosing their bank verification number, a unique identifying number used in Nigeria for accessing financial services.
Similar posts offering loans can be found here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But are the loan offers real? We checked.
Imposter pages with fake offers
These pages are not genuine and there are several red flags to suggest it.
It is unusual for a bank established in 1949 to have created all its social media pages in 2025.
Another red flag is that the pages have not been verified by Meta and have only 13 followers in total.
We found that the bank, a major commercial institution in the country, has over 3.6 million followers on its official Facebook page.
Although the suspicious posts instruct users to send a message to request a loan, the bank's website asks them to follow certain guidelines. These include submitting a completed loan application form and supporting documents at one of the branches listed below.
This means that users must visit the bank in person if they want to apply for a loan.
To qualify for a loan, you will need a savings or salary account, a completed loan application form, valid identification and other relevant documents.
Verification of identity is required by the bank, unlike what is suggested by the suspicious posts. These are making false promises and should be ignored.
Similar fake loan-offers were found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
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