Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A WhatsApp message with a link widely forwarded to individuals and groups about the University of Chicago’s fully funded scholarship offers for 2022 to study in the United States of America is false. 

The WhatsApp message has a phishing link that redirects to a one-page site with what looks like a basic “Scholarship Application Form”. 

Phishing is sending fake or fraudulent communications that appear to come from a reputable source to steal sensitive data like credit card and login information or install malware on the victim’s machine, according to Cisco technology company. 

“The American Scholarship is a yearly program which is aimed at Undergraduates, Masters and PhD Students who wants (sic) to study in the United States,” the WhatsApp message partly reads. 

Screenshot of the false WhatsApp message about the University of Chicago scholarship

The scholarship targets the age group of 14 to 50 years, and it covers full tuition fee, medical allowance, Covid-19, instant visa approval, permission to work and study, and hostel accommodation, according to the widely shared claim. 

Screenshot showing the header of the alleged University of Chicago’s scholarship site 

Phishing trick 

211 Check looks at the claim, and it appears to be a phishing tactic deployed by unknown malicious actors to get passwords, phone numbers, names, locations, and email addresses from people using a one-page form on the phishing website. 

After filling in the personal information, it directs to three objective questions where it asks what one’s employment status is, their marital status, their age range. Then after answering, a pop-up message appears informing the applicants of approval with string conditions first to invite fifteen friends or five groups on WhatsApp. 

“After checking your applications, You have been approved to study at the University of Chicago IN{UNITED STATES} for free–Your UNITED STATES SCHOLARSHIP VISA FORM will be available immediately after you click the “Invite Friends/Group” button below to share this information with 15 friends or five groups on WhatsApp so That They Can Also Aware of the SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMM,” it reads. 

“Note: If you do not complete this step correctly, The VISA FORM page will not load,” the pop-up message warns. 

The screenshot of the pop-up message after filling out the form 

What is there to know about the University of Chicago and its scholarship?

The University of Chicago was founded in 1890 as an urban research university and is a prestigious, recognised global university. It is the third-ranking best University college in the United States, after Michigan Institute of Technology and Stanford. 

211 Check established that fully funded University of Chicago scholarships exist for 2022-2023 for online applications. There are different categories of scholarships, including undergraduate scholarships, international financial aid, merit scholarships, graduate scholarships, fellowships, and research assistantships and teachings. 

The eligibility criteria for the scholarships range from 4.48-grade point average (GPA) or its equivalent in the grading system of the applicants’ country, minimum education of 14 years for the undergraduate, a 4-year bachelor’s degree for the master’s program, and a bachelor’s and master’s degree for a doctoral program among others. 

The admission procedure starts by selecting a course at the University of Chicago admission office, creating an online profile for admission applications, filling out the form with relevant information, attaching the required documents, and submitting the form. 

The benefits of the scholarship involve partial, discounted, or full waiver from tuition fee expenses, a voucher for food and book buying, monthly stipend allowance, residence expense funding or facility, travel grant funding or facility, and library access on campus. 

Comparative analysis:

There are mismatches between the circulated WhatsApp message and the scholarship information from the University of Chicago’s website.

The claim’s admission procedure is not solid, the message texts are full of grammatical errors, the webpage picture is doctored, and the condition of sharing the claim with more friends or groups on WhatsApp clearly shows it is not credible. 

211 Check also found out that the moment the link is clicked as it directs to the webpage, in the background, it downloads and installs malware into the devices or computers of the users. 

The whois information:

According to Whois, which can be used to investigate the registration information for a domain, the phishing link‘s domain was registered on August 30th, 2022.

A screenshot shows the registration of the phishing link’s domain

However, the Whois information for the University of Chicago’s domain indicates that the domain record was activated in 1991, last updated in July 2022, and expires in July 2024.

The screenshot of the whois’ information on University of Chicago website

In conclusion,

The viral message about the University of Chicago scholarship being widely shared on WhatsApp is false.

The University of Chicago’s website and scholarship programs are here.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.