Fact-check: MTN South Sudan 40th Anniversary Celebration Gift Raffle is a Hoax

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MTN South Sudan is just ten years old, and it marked its 10th anniversary in June 2021. Therefore, do not click and provide your contact address or personal information to suspicious online websites.

By Kei Emmanuel Duku

Introduction:

A website link widely shared on various WhatsApp groups claiming that MTN customers in South Sudan stand a chance of winning 300 euros through a questionnaire as MTN celebrates its 40th anniversary is false.

Fake Promotional Website Circulating on WhatsApp

While answering the questions on the website, you will encounter questions like:

1. Do you know MTN South Sudan?

2. How old are you?

3. What do you think about MTN South Sudan?

4. And, they also asked if you were male or female?

After going through the four-step questionnaires, a dialogue box with a congratulatory message pops up, “Your answers have been saved successfully. You have a chance to win gifts, and you must select the correct box with your prize inside.” You have three attempts. Good luck”. 

Upon selecting the first 2 boxes, it will tell you, “Sorry, the box you have selected is empty. Try again.” You have more chances left, but by clicking on the second row of the first two boxes, it tells you. “Congratulations! You did it! “You won 300 euros.”

And the thump rule: for you to get the money, you must be able to share their promotional messages in five groups and with 20 other friends, as well as complete the registration process with all contact addresses, in order for you to receive the 300 euros in 5-7 days. 

However, the promotion is not true, and below are some of our findings which make the promotion false or a hoax. 

If you do a close analysis of the website, it directs you to a different website, not the official MTN South Sudan website. The official website for MTN South Sudan is https://mtn.com.ss. The false promotional website is affirmationkidnap.top/ev, which we found to be unrelated to MTN South Sudan. 

Additionally, the impostor website is not encrypted, as all legitimate websites start with HTTPS. Therefore, you should desist from such scrupulous links or websites. 

Investigation:

MTN South Sudan was established in 2011, right after the independence of South Sudan, with its headquarters located in Hai Jerusalem, Juba-South Sudan. MTN celebrated its 10th year of existence in South Sudan in June last year.

When contacted by 211 Check via WhatsApp for the above promotional prizes. MtnSSD customer centre in South Sudan disputed the prizes and subsequently warned its customers about fake activities/business circulating on social media on behalf of the company’s name. 

“No, please be informed that it’s not from MTN.” Keep away from that unreliable information because it’s dangerous. ” “We appreciate you reaching out to us MTNSS,” reads the WhatsApp message from MTN South Sudan.

Another finding using Whois Search indicates that the website was created on May 07, 2022, updated two days later, and it will expire on May 07, 2023, with the website https://ican.org/epp # OK and URL www.west263.com registered in the province of Zhejiang, yet the official website for MTN South Sudan is https://mtn.com.ss.

Lastly, you can click on the link several times and keep winning the 300 euros. This is to lure you to share several times with audiences within your reach for them to achieve their set targets, but ideally, there’s nothing to win.  

Conclusion:

211 Check has investigated a claim stating that MTN South Sudan is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and found it to be a hoax. MTN South Sudan is just ten years old, and it marked its 10th anniversary in June 2021. Therefore, do not click and provide your contact address or personal information to suspicious online websites.

Fact-check: Is Mwijukye Robert Lubang part of a group that initiated a conflict in Magwi?

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By 211 Check Desk

A Facebook post by a page “Sixty 4 Tribes Press” with a photo of Mwijukwe Robert Lubang claiming that he was part of a group who initiated a conflict between pastoralists and farmers in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State is false.

“The conflict between pastoralists and farmers in Magwi County where dozens lost their lives and hundreds of wounded were initiated by active military officers in the SSPDF as shown by their Identification Cards,” reads the caption of the Facebook post that contained both his nationality certificate and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Identity Card.

The post did not give further details. 

Screenshot of the misleading post

However, in reply to the post, Mwijukye commented that the information was fake and should be disregarded. “Disregard it. Fake,” he said in a comment on the post.

A statement from Robert’s brother, Lodiong David Lubang says that the picture of the documents shared on social media were taken by an officer at the Nimule border as his brother signed out to go attend the burial of his mother-in-law in Uganda.

“The very photo shared was taken by one clearence officer of his cadre at the Nimule border. Why he released it is not known, but I can assert and say that the information is false,” Mwijukwe’s brother, Lodiong David said in a statement shared with 211 Check.

Media reports on the latest conflict between pastoralists and local farmers by Eye Radio and The City Review quoting Authorities in Eastern Equatoria State could not establish the parties to the conlict.

211 Check has looked into a claim that Mwijukye Robert Lubang is part of a group who initiated a conflict in Magwi and finds it to be false. Lodiong David Lubang, Robert’s brother says Robert is in Uganda attending his mother-in-law’s burial.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.