Fact-Check: Viral WhatsApp Links for ₦50,000 FG Grant Are Phishing Scams
- Fake WhatsApp messages are circulating online, urging Nigerians to apply for a N50,000 NERSI cash transfer through suspicious links
- Cybersecurity checks flagged the websites attached to the messages as malicious and linked to phishing activity
- The federal government had announced the N50,000 monthly payment for vulnerable households but said no application or agent registration is required
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Fraudsters are circulating fake messages on WhatsApp, falsely claiming that Nigerians can apply online for the federal government's N50,000 National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) cash transfer.
One message tells recipients: "The federal government of Nigeria, through the minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, is giving out N50,000 cash transfer to all Nigerians. I just got mine. Get yours here now."
The post directs users to the website billnova.online. A second message, originating from gifmi.site, claims to offer "NERSI relief support funds" via Opay, adding: "Get yours here, and it is ending soon."
Both sites ask visitors to submit their bank details and names. Users are also told to share the links with at least five WhatsApp groups or 15 contacts before they can access the funds, a classic tactic used to spread phishing links rapidly.
What verification checks revealed
A CableCheck analysis found that the WhatsApp links carry a suspected malicious application. When billnova.online was submitted to VirusTotal, six out of 93 security vendors flagged it as malicious and linked to phishing activity.
A Whois check confirmed the domain registration was private and showed no connection to the Nigerian government. Official government websites in Nigeria use domains ending in .gov.ng.
Checks on gifmi.site returned even more serious concerns, with multiple independent cybersecurity vendors classifying its URLs as malicious or phishing.
The domain was registered only in August 2026, using Cloudflare's DNS infrastructure and NameSilo as its registrar. The site was also found to host a secondary website, opayrelief.pages.dev.
What federal government actually said
The NERSI programme is real. In October, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Bernard Doro announced that selected vulnerable households would receive monthly payments of N50,000 to help cushion the impact of rising living costs.
Doro explained that eligible beneficiaries would receive an SMS from a network provider asking for their consent, after which payment would go directly into their bank account or mobile wallet.
"This message is genuine. Once consent is given, payment is made directly to the beneficiary's account/mobile wallet," he said.
Crucially, the minister stressed that Nigerians do not need to apply, pay any fee, or register through an agent.
"Never share your PIN or BVN with anyone," he warned, explicitly cautioning the public against fraudsters exploiting the scheme.
Based on the verification findings, the links circulating on WhatsApp carry the hallmarks of a phishing attempt and should not be clicked or shared.
N50,000 support: Nigerians warned against fake registration links
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction addressed viral social media posts urging Nigerians to register for a ₦50,000 government grant.
The Ministry said beneficiaries would be drawn from the National Social Register, with no application process open to the public.
Nigerians were warned not to share their PIN, OTP, or BVN with anyone claiming to facilitate access to the grant.
Source: Legit.ng
