Fact-check: World Bank and International Finance Corporation giving money to farmers and SMEs in South Sudan? No, it is just another Facebook scam

These are scammers who want to take advantage of opportunities to obtain important personal information such as names, emails, and phone numbers. This practice is called phishing. Some of the common characteristics of phishing scams are: too good to be good, sense of urgency, hyperlinks, attachments, and unusual sender.

Writer: Jibi Moses

A Facebook post from a page called “Hon. Mayiik Ayii Deng” on October 6, 2022, claiming the availability of a funding opportunity for farmers and businesses in South Sudan is false.

The post, which sparked public speculation about its legitimacy, has since received over 40 interactions, 18 comments, and 06 shares. 

However, the page itself has 10 likes and 13 followers with no reviews, indicating that it is still new, unverified (no blue tick), and raises suspicions that it is not owned by Hon Mayiik Ayii Deng, South Sudan’s current Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The post claims that the World Bank and International Finance Corporation are providing funding and business opportunities to farmers affected by natural disasters such as COVID19, Locust invasion, and floods, and they went on to provide a link through which one can apply and access the funding.

The screenshot of the false post on Facebook

211 Check Investigation:

With the aforementioned suspicions, 211 Check launched an investigation by conducting an image reverse search on Google and Bing, and discovered that the same image was first used on Thursday, June 24, 2021 by Eye Radio’s Lasuba Memo, with a story.

The image was used by Eye Radio in 2021

Further research into the website of the International Finance Corporation, a sister organisation of the World Bank and a member of the World Bank Group, clearly specifies the products and services they offer. They have investment, advice, and mobilisation, but these are further subdivided and the processes for private companies to apply for these services are clearly explained.

Attempts to obtain comments from World Bank and IFC officials were futile because they did not respond to our emails or Twitter direct messages.

In another similar search, the institution warns about fraud schemes misrepresenting IFC, which use their logos and emails that are difficult to distinguish from genuine ones, but they warn that they intend to extort money from the general public.

Website Domain Record:

The domain: https://ifcbusinessplan.com/ on which the advert was shared was registered on 2022-10-01 whereas the official domains for the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation were registered on 1991-08-14 and 1995-12-21 respectively.

Screenshot of the domain information for ifcbusinessplan.com 

Conclusion:

The claim is false. These are scammers who want to take advantage of opportunities to obtain important personal information such as names, emails, and phone numbers. Once they have them, they can use them to hack into your bank accounts, emails, and social media accounts. This practice is called phishing. Some of the common characteristics of phishing scams are: too good to be good, sense of urgency, hyperlinks, attachments, and unusual sender.