Recently, a link has been circulating in WhatsApp groups in Uganda, claiming to provide details of grants from the Africa Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF). However, this offer has been confirmed as a hoax by the organisation itself.
The link directs users to a message stating that AWIEF aims to fund 885,000 African women in just six months, and even provides an application form requiring personal details such as name, country, phone number, level of education, and the purpose of the funding sought. Despite initial acceptance messages and comments from alleged previous beneficiaries, the ultimate prompt is to share the link further, which is a telltale sign of a scam.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the purported grant was not being offered by AWIEF at all. In fact, the organisation posted a warning on its website, as well as its X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts, cautioning the public about the scam.
Further inspection into the website behind the scam revealed that it was created on 3 September 2023 in Arizona, United States, while the authentic AWIF website, complete with a warning about the scam, was established on 5 August 2016. Riana Andrews, the AWIEF communications and marketing manager, confirmed that the link was indeed fake and advised the public to refrain from interacting with it in any way.
It is clear that such fraudulent promotions aim to obtain personal information through false promises, and has been previously exposed by PesaCheck. The collaboration between PesaCheck, Facebook, and similar social media platforms serves to fact-check and scrutinize content that may be misleading, providing the public with reliable information and context.
PesaCheck looks into a variety of content, including that which is marked as potential misinformation on social media. If you spot any content that you believe to be false, you can report it to ensure its authenticity. For more information on PesaCheck’s fact-checking methodology and to learn how to report fake information on Facebook, please visit the PesaCheck website.
This article was written by Flavia Nassaka, fact-checked by senior copy editor Cédrick Irakoze and acting chief copy editor Francis Mwaniki, and approved for publication by managing editor Doreen Wainainah. PesaCheck is East Africa’s leading public finance fact-checking initiative, supported by key individuals and organisations in the field of data journalism, with a focus on accuracy in media reporting.
In conclusion, the public is urged to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of any such offers. Resourceful sources, such as official websites and fact-checking organisations, can be consulted to confirm the validity of information before taking any action. Let us all do our part in keeping the online community safe from deception and fraudulent activities.
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