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

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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.

Fact-check: Investment Ministry denies funding businesses from an alleged $350 million donation 

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According to the Ministry of Investment, the page where the call for applications was published was a forgery and not its official Facebook account. It requests that the public refrain from following it and dealing with the news published on it.

Writer: Ghai Aketch 

Claims that the Ministry of Investment is funding businesses on behalf of the South Sudan government after receiving a $350 million USD donation from the International Monetary Fund, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and USAID are false.

On October 4, 2022, a Facebook page bearing the official logo of the Republic of South Sudan Ministry of Investment and images of Investment Minister Hon.Dr. Dhieu Mathok Diing was created, but on October 5, a sponsored post called for applications for funding. To boost trade, the applicants were to receive a “development share of $350 million.”

“The Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Investment have received a grant donation of $350M in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Global Entrepreneurship Network.” The statement partly reads on the Facebook page. 

Screenshot of false post doing the rounds

But the application procedure directs people to a Google form to input personal information; name, email, mobile phone number,  physical address, and description of project for funding.

Additionally, on October 5, another page disguised to be the investment minister’s was created but with misspelt name, Dr. Dhieu  MADHOK instead of MATHOK. It also started sharing the same funding scheme and official images of the minister as well as the ministry’s activities.

Shortly after getting notified by 211 Check, the Investment Ministry published a position statement denying ownership of the viral post.

“A person created a fake page in the name of the Ministry of Investment on October 4, 2022 AD and published that the Ministry of Investment had received a grant of 350 million US dollars in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund and the International Fund for Agricultural Development . . (IFAD), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Global Entrepreneurship Network,” the statement reads in part.

The ministry also urged the public against falling victims of the fake Facebook page purporting Dr. Dhieu Mathok , adding that the minister doesn’t own a Facebook page.

“…we assure the followers of this fake page in the name of Dr. Dhieu Mathok that the Minister of Investment does not have an account on Facebook.”

Screenshot of false post doing the rounds

Earlier when 211 Check  contacted the Republic of South Sudan Ministry of Investment the information caught the administrators in surprise, about the trending call for alleged financial funding. 

The office manager in the minister’s office, Mr. Alfred Sokiri  wondered and told 211 Check that he was in New York, US in September together with the minister but there was no such donation by the mentioned organisations. 

He also added that it’s not on the ministry’s official Facebook page as well as no trace of physical files indicating that in the office. 

Moreover, after consulting with the minister, the Press Secretary in the Office of the Minister, Mr. Akol Angok,  told 211 Check that the circulating  information is fake. 

“Someone is attacking the Ministry of Investment. I talked to the minister and other officials but no information about the said $350 million US dollars.” Akol said. He stressed that the administration is contemplating on suing those meddling in that disinformation. 

In addition to that, the official Ministry of Investment Facebook page has not published that information. This confirms that the account disseminating the information is a fake account intended to scam unsuspecting citizens. 

More importantly, the photo accompanying the information is that of the Vice President for Service Cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the United Nations General Assembly in the US published September 20, 2022 on twitter

Conclusion:

The Republic of South Sudan’s Ministry of Investment has not received any donation from the International Monetary Fund, International Fund for Agricultural Development and USAID to fund business. The Facebook page advertising the business grant is inauthentic.

Fact-check: Does mGurush charge clients for deposits? No, it doesn’t

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Writer: Beatrice Amude

A tweet by a Twitter user on 6th October 2022 claimed that m_Gurush, a mobile money platform in South Sudan charges clients for cash deposits.

“I heard mGurush charges for cash deposit. A  messed up strategy in every aspect,” the tweet reads.

The tweet got attention of tweeps including a tweet reply that seems to confirm that claim.

“Non agents do charge ones when depositing money, but m_Gurush main outlets DO NOT charge on deposit,” a tweep said in a tweet reply.

Screenshot of the false claim on Twitter

We contacted both an mGurush agent and client to know their experience when depositing.

Lucky Charles, owner of Jami General Trading and Investment Company Limited and an agent for mGurush, tells 211 Check that clients are not charged when depositing money into their mGurush wallets over a private line, but mGurush charges when withdrawing cash.

Lucky Charles said, “For us as agents,when we sent money to private line,we are not charged and they can not charged the private line,unless the private line wanted to withdraw money.’’

Caesar Lemi, a mGurush client, stated that he deposited money into his account yesterday without incurring any fees.

‘’ Even yesterday, I deposited money to my mGurush account without any charges,’’ Lemi told 211 Check

He told 211 Check that this claim is false, but mGurush agents tell him that they do not have money when he normally wants to withdraw cash.

mGurush replies

“No, we do not charge for cash deposits,” mGurush said in a reply to 211 Check when asked via messenger.

“Please report any agent who charges for deposit. We have tariff guides displayed and also our service charges are shown on your confirmation screen when withdrawing,” it said on Twitter.

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the claim that mGurush charges for cash deposits false.

Fact-check: This is a phishing scam 

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Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A WhatsApp link purporting to be the “Sweden Sponsorship Visa and Job Portal” for an opportunity for Sweden visa sponsorship jobs is false.

The claim encourages international applicants to apply for visa sponsorship jobs in Sweden in 2023. And it employs two distinct links, each of which leads to the same form used to collect personal information, which is a phishing scam.

Screenshot of WhatsApp message with phishing link

The claim employs a predatory strategy to entice victims to complete the application processes as quickly as possible by stating that “the number of applicants is limited….continue.”

And conditions that applicants share with five WhatsApp groups or fifteen WhatsApp friends before being directed to the visa form webpage, with the promise of receiving a confirmation email within 24 hours.

Screenshot of the fake webpage with spelling errors

Screenshot of the ‘application form’ wanting personal details

This ‘continue’ prompt that pops up after form filling

Page requiring applicants to share to more WhatsApp users

But, is this call legitimate? 211 Check takes a look into it here:

The page has spelling and grammar errors which are unusual of an official site. Besides, the website has only a single page and lacks pages like “About Us” or “Contact Us”

The official website for candidates interested in working in the European is EURES, a European cooperation network of employment services, designed to facilitate the free movement of workers. The network has always worked hard to ensure that European citizens can benefit from the same opportunities, despite language barriers, cultural differences, bureaucratic challenges, diverse employment laws and a lack of recognition of educational certificates across Europe.

Opportunities Corners is also a legitimate broad & wide opportunities discovery platform for youth all around the world. They recently published an article about seven Swedish based companies that are sponsoring visas for foreign workers which among them include; Assa Abloy, Ericsson, H&M, IKEA, Spotify, Google Sweden, and Apple Sweden. The link is here

Conclusion:

Scammers are exploiting people online by mirroring or impersonating the original opportunities under false pretense. Their goal is to gather personal information such as people’s contacts, emails, addresses, and country of origin.

Fact-check: This is not the way to apply for the UN Volunteer Program

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Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A Facebook post advertisement run by a page called “Application Date” in the media/news company category about the United Nations Volunteer Program 2022, a fully funded international volunteer program, encouraging people to apply, is false.

Since September 5, 2022, the post has received over 3,400 interactions, 1,800 comments, and 140 comments.

Is it necessary for a United Nations Volunteer Program applicant to communicate with the “Application Date” Facebook page in order to apply? No, and here is why:

When one clicks apply for jobs on the page, it takes them to a messenger chat box with the page, where they receive a suspicious message saying, “Congratulations! …..you have qualified to apply for a job in Canada or the United States, please apply using the link provided.”

Pop up message when one clicks “apply”

They then provide a link to Nguniversities.com, which claims to be an educational website established with the goal of providing quality and reliable information about every institution and scholarship opportunities; however, it is not the official website for the UN Volunteers Program.

The NG Universities website includes a web page menu bar with various categories and/or programs such as scholarships, study abroad, international jobs, and internships.

There is no open link for the UN Volunteer program 2022 unless one searches the menu bar on the NG Universities’ website, where it directs to the expired UN Volunteer program 2022, which was posted on September 25th, 2021.

Screenshot of the Nguniversities.com website 

There are also links to other categories from various UN agencies, including other institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was posted on August 22, 2022. UN volunteer programs and internships are among the categories.

Where can one obtain reliable information about the UN Volunteer Program?

The right United Nations Volunteers (UNV), a program administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) can be got on their website: https://www.unv.org/

UN Volunteer assignments are advertised on its Unified Volunteering Platform. In order for interested candidates to apply for assignments, they need to register in the UN Global Talent Pool.

“You can visit this page if you wish to register in our Global Talent Pool to become a UN Volunteer,” UN Volunteers states on its website.

Conclusion:

While it is true that opportunities for the UN Volunteers program exist, the procedures with which the Application Date Facebook page advertises and directs the applicants is false.

Fact-check: Is Ecobank offering 100,000 pounds for free? No, it is a scam and should not be interacted with

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Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A claim that has been making the rounds on WhatsApp groups that Ecobank’s National Government Subsidies campaign is offering internet users the chance to win up to 100,000 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) after correctly answering four questions, is a hoax.

“Do you know Ecobank?” one of the questions asks. “What age are you?” “What are your thoughts on Ecobank?” “Also, are you male or female?”

Despite being warned that the link is a phishing scam, several users have continued to share it in WhatsApp groups and with their contacts. This is a phishing scam, in which people pose as trustworthy companies or organizations in order to obtain personal information from victims.

Screenshot of the unrelated site’s homepage

After answering all of the questions, one is supposedly eligible to win prizes, but it then instructs people to share with five groups or twenty WhatsApp friends as conditions before claiming the prize, which is supposed to arrive within five to seven days, according to the claim.

Screenshot of a congratulatory message on the site

These links, however, are phishing scams. An investigation by 211 Check discovered that the claim is a scam from an entity or individual who is not the real Ecobank Group, and you should not click or interact with them.

A search on Google and the Ecobank Group website for National Government Subsidies yielded the result “No match found.”

Screenshot showing search results for “Ecobank National Government Subsidies”

According to publicly available information on the Ecobank Group’s website, the website where the claim about the Ecobank offer is posted does not match with the true website features of the Ecobank Group. The official Ecobank website is: https://ecobank.com/. 

The same offer has also not been shared on the social media accounts for Ecobank on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

211 Check also used Virustotal to examine the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and discovered that the URL link of the claim is flagged as dangerous by five security vendors (BitDefender, G-Data, Webroot, Fortinet, and Kaspersky) as malicious [malicious, malware, and for phishing].

Screenshot of the analysis by virus total

Whois Record of the phising link versus Ecobank website:

The Ecobank domain was registered in January 1998, while the phishing link was registered in July 2022. It is always a red flag when a site was created around the time it went viral.

Screenshot showing domain information for Ecobank

Screenshot showing domain information for the phishing website

Conclusion:

211 Check concludes that there is no offer of such kind going on with the Ecobank Group.

The links being shared are scams. You should not click or interact with them. This sort of scam is called a phishing scam, which is where people pretend to be trustworthy companies or organisations in order to get personal information from victims.

Criminals use publicly available information about you online (including social media sites) to make their phishing messages more convincing.

You can reduce your chances of being phished by considering what personal information you (and others) post about yourself, as well as reviewing your privacy settings on your social media accounts.

Recognising a scam

It might be a scam if:

  • it seems too good to be true – for example, a holiday that’s much cheaper than you’d expect 
  • someone you don’t know contacts you unexpectedly
  • you suspect you’re not dealing with a real company – for example, if there’s no postal address
  • you’ve been asked to transfer money quickly
  • you’ve been asked to pay in an unusual way – for example, by Mobile Money or through a transfer service like MoneyGram or Western Union
  • you’ve been asked to give away personal information like passwords or PINs
  • you haven’t had written confirmation of what’s been agreed

Fact-check: Photo showing an incident involving South Sudanese in Kenya? No

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Writer: Jibi Moses

A Facebook post published by Sixty 4 Tribes Press claiming that dozens of South Sudanese were injured during a community association election petition in Kenya is false.

“Dozens were injured during the Warrap State Community Association election petition in Kenya after one of the candidates was cornered by goons hired by an embassy official,” partly reads the post shared on Monday, 3rd October 2022.

The Facebook post was also followed with a lot of hashtags which is a red flag for potential disinformation campaign.

The article as put by the page.

An official at the Embassy of South Sudan in Nairobi dismissed the news as false. He said there was no Warrap Community Association election held around the time of the report. 

211 Check also ran a Google reverse image search of the picture used in the post, and the results showed that the image was first used by a Kenyan Newspaper, Business Daily in an article “Tycoon’s Sons in vicious fight for control of Nairobi Ambassadeur hotel” published on Wednesday, January 18th, 2017.

The same image as used in 2017

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the Facebook post claiming that dozens South Sudanese were injured during a community association election petition in Kenya false. The Embassy of South Sudan in Nairobi dismissed the news as false and the image used in the post is of unrelated event in 2017.

Fact-check: South Sudanese woman did not confess having sexual intercourse with son to maintain riches

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A similar article alleging a Zambian woman has been in circulation since 2016.

Writer: Ghai Aketch 

An article going viral depicting that a South Sudanese woman, 42-year-old, allegedly identified as Ajak and her son, Abel, said to have been engaging in sexual intercourse every Wednesday at their residence in the Netherlands according to maintain riches, is false. 

“A 52-year-old South Sudanese woman identified as Ajak who is living in Netherland, has openly confessed to having sexual intercourse with her son in order to maintain his riches,” partly reads the claim that has been recycled since 2020. 

It has been shared in several posts here, here, here, and here on Facebook.

Screenshot of the false article

The East African Vibe website published this claim on September 27, 2022. But the same claim had earlier been shared several times by tabloids in 2020, including South Sudanese’s like the South Sudan News Agency.  

But, did a South Sudanese woman actually confess having sexual intercourse with son to maintain riches?

Internet searches by 211 Check found out that the article is false, for the original article was shared in August 2016 by the Igboho Connect News, the Nigerian Daily Post and also appeared on Nairaland Forum in August 2016. Several tabloids have since reshared the same article in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Original article that first appeared in August 2016

We discovered that the first  article was edited from: “A 52-year-old Zambian woman identified as Banda Yvonne, has openly confessed to having sexual intercourse with her son in order to maintain their hard-earned riches…” to “A 42-year-old South Sudanese woman identified as Ajak has…” 

Conclusion:

The claim that a South Sudanese woman in the Netherlands confessed having sexual intercourse with her son to maintain riches is false as the story has been fabricated and doesn’t reflect real characters. A similar article alleging a Zambian woman has been in circulation since 2016.

Fact-check: Photo showing a signpost with a “Juba City Council” inscription? No, it is edited

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Writer: Emmanuel Bida Thomas

A Facebook post shared by a user on 30 September 2022 with the caption “No comments.” that appears to show a signpost with the inscription “Juba City Council” is false.

Nearly 50 people interacted with the photo, which received 18 comments and six shares. Some Facebook users, such as this one, also reposted it.

But does this photograph have anything to do with Juba or South Sudan? We double-check it:

Screenshot of misleading signpost

A reverse image search yields results for the alleged signpost, which has been a long-running internet meme with trends on Facebook and Twitter. The original post does not specify a location, but it has recently been photoshopped to imply that it is in Juba.

The photograph first appeared on this Indian website on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, with no caption. Byta FM Zambia, a Facebook page in the Radio station category, posted it in September 2019 with the caption “Keep your environment clean.”

The same signpost photo was also posted here and here.

Original photo without “Juba city Council” writing

Conclusion:

The photograph with the inscription “Juba City Council” has been altered. The original photo, which was first shared on an Indian website in December 2018, does not have such writing.

Fact-check: This incomplete document is not the official list of winners for the East African Legislative Assembly seats 

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Writer: Emmanuel Bida Thomas

South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), a state-owned broadcaster, announced on Saturday, October 1, 2022, on its Facebook page that the speaker of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) reshuffled a list of elected members of parliament to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) who were elected on Friday, September 30, 2022, citing an incomplete document.

The post was deleted moments later.

Screenshot of SSBC News Facebook post deleted moments later

Incomplete document cited by SSBC News

The document from the Speaker’s office was used to formally announce the results of all candidates, including those who lost. The announcement follows the original list of verified candidates. On the original list of verified candidates, each candidate was assigned a number.

Document showing original list of candidates

Election result for the 26 candidates as displayed on the assembly’s projector screen

The successful candidates were announced, and the Revitalized Transitional National Legislature confirmed the election of nine MPs to represent the country at the East African Legislative Assembly, or EALA, late on Friday.

On the same day, the clerk of the assembly listed finalists in a letter to the Secretary General of the East African Community.

Finalists in a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the East African Community

Conclusion:

211 Check considers the SSBC news post, which was later deleted, misleading. The news outlet cited an incomplete document.