“The Applications for the Students Laptop Scheme 2022 Is Available,” begins a message circulating on WhatsApp and Facebook in Nigeria.
“This scheme is open to all students who for financial reasons are not in a position to purchase a laptop of their own and are in need of laptop in their level of education. Students that can apply- all Students can apply for the helping laptop support scheme.”
The message claims 960,000 laptops will be given to students in 2022, and that 245,000 students “recieved laptop in 2021 due to covid”.
It includes a link to a website where students can supposedly apply for the laptops.
But is the offer for real?
URL pulled down for violation of terms
The first indication that the message is phoney is its poor spelling and grammar – often a sign of scams and disinformation.
The link in the message was posted using the free TinyURL link shortening and customisation service.
But TinyURL has picked up that the link is to a dodgy website, so instead of going to that site it directs to a warning.
“The TinyURL (FREE-STUDENT-LAPTOP2022) you visited was used by its creator in violation of our terms of use. TinyURL has a strict no abuse policy and we apologize for the intrusion this user has caused you,” the warning reads.
The URL shortening service considers spam (unsolicited bulk e-mail), fraud, money-making scams, malware and any other illegal use as violations.
The message was also rated as false by fact-checkers at NewsMobile, a Hindi-language website.
To help protect yourself against online fraudsters, see our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.
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