A FAKE Nigerian Army website was shut down after The ICIR published an investigation on fraudsters using phishing websites to defraud applicants intending to enlist in the armed forces.
Online fraudsters used the website joinarmy.com.ng to lure applicants who wanted to join the army into dropping their bank details, which granted them access to hack their bank accounts.
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Currently, the website is inaccessible. The link to the website is no longer functional since the publication of The ICIR report.
The website was registered by Chima Onyekwere the founder of Linkserve Limited, Nigeria’s major web hosting company.
He also doubles as the current Chairman Board of Trustees of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA).
Onyekwere denied knowledge of the scam website saying as Managing Director of Linkserve Limited his name appears on domain addresses hosted on its server.
“Do you know my age and how do you think I can be associated with such a scam? I don’t know anything about it and I will tell my people to shut down the website after this call,” he said when contacted by The ICIR in the course of the investigation.
Onyekwere said the name of the owner of the fake army website is Abdullahi Kabir whose location was given as Abuja.
In November 2020, the Nigerian Army called on Nigerians to disregard recruitment adverts stating that it had not put out any advert for sale of forms for the Short Service Commission/Direct Short Service Course enlistments.
Phishing scams are a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data, including login credentials and credit card numbers, in order to illegally siphon users’ money from their bank accounts without their knowledge.
The Factcheckhub, a platform that seeks to combat misinformation gives tips on how to identify phishing websites or scams that are perpetrated by masquerading as something else online.
Read the report of the investigation here.
Amos Abba is a journalist with the International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, who believes that courageous investigative reporting is the key to social justice and accountability in the society.