IN SHORT: According to several Facebook pages, users can get “Christmas funds” from Nigeria’s federal government, OPay and some influential Nigerians. These posts are being used as engagement bait and users should ignore them.
The Facebook pages SolidTravels, Zaman aure, Nairahub.ng, GrantAid Hub and Bella Guide are promoting Christmas giveaways from the Nigerian government and influential Nigerians.
SolidTravels and Zaman aure claim that Ned Nwoko, a member of the Nigerian senate, is giving N50,000 (US$29.70) to the first 1,000 households to apply for the funds.
A post on 16 November reads: “Ned Nwoko ₦50,000 Christmas Gift for the First 1000 People! Apply Now.”
Nairahub.ng claims the Nigerian government is empowering citizens, while the page GrantAid Hub claims OPay, a mobile money operator, is giving out N185,000 ($110.50).
Bella Guide, another page, also says politician and former vice president Atiku Abubakar is giving out N20,000 ($11.86) as Christmas funds.
Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus and is traditionally observed on 25 December. In Nigeria, it is not uncommon for businesses and popular personalities to be generous leading up to or during the Christmas holidays.
Similar posts can be found here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report).
But are any of these promises of “Christmas funds” legit? We checked.
Engagement bait
We would expect messages of “Christmas funds” from the federal government, popular Nigerians, and OPay to receive a great deal of publicity.
But there are no such messages from any of the platforms. OPay, in 2023, debunked such offers. The business hasn’t announced such offers for 2024 either.
This is also not the first time Facebook pages have claimed that the federal government, Nwoko or Abubakar are giving out money. Africa Check has debunked similar scams in the past.
The posts include links to pages where users can supposedly access these funds, but the pages are unrelated to the giveaways.
The posts on Nwoko led to a blog post about US job visa opportunities, while the links on Nairahub.ng and Bella Guide’s posts also led to a blog post on visa sponsorship.
This is called engagement bait, a tactic used on social media to encourage users to interact with content in ways that artificially boost its visibility. Here the pages are boosting the visibility of the blog, possibly in order to earn revenue.
Engagement bait is also associated with scams or phishing attempts that exploit unsuspecting users, leading to malicious websites or collecting personal data under false pretences. As evident in the comments, some users are sharing their personal details, hoping to win the giveaways, which could make them susceptible to phishing scams.
To spot similar scams using engagement bait on Facebook, look out for giveaway banners with a photo of popular Nigerians attached to a link. They may also ask you to click the link quickly to win the giveaway or “Christmas funds”. Visit the official pages or social media accounts of the person to confirm whether the giveaway is legit – it usually isn’t.
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