Summary:
- A link going viral on WhatsApp claims that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is offering a “real promotion” including funding for investment, debt consolidation, and contingency expenses among others.
- The link bears the logo of USAID and requires a user to answer a series of questions via WhatsApp
- We have investigated this link by following each step outlined in the WhatsApp chat and found that the link is a scam.
A viral WhatsApp link claiming to be from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is circulating on social media, particularly WhatsApp.
The link claims that USAID is offering a “real promotion” with funds for investment, debt consolidation, and contingency expenses. By clicking on it, interested individuals are encouraged to apply.
The claim
The exact message in the link reads: “THIS IS REAL PROMOTION DON’T IGNORE APPLY USSAID USING THIS LINK.”
Rating Verification
To check the authenticity of the link and if USAID is offering a “real promotion” with funds for investment, debt consolidation, and contingency expenses among others, we tested it by clicking on the link and was redirected to a WhatsApp business account from Kenya (+254 789 848637).
This account welcomed LVL fact-checker with a message stating that their funding comes from various sources to “fulfill their mission of ensuring every African need, particularly for the most vulnerable.”
Our fact-checker then asked to provide consent to answer a few questions before receiving “USAID PROMOTION funds.”
After replying with “1. YES,” the fact-checker was prompted to state how they would use the money.
Upon responding that he would invest, the fact-checker was asked to provide personal details, including name, contact information, age, and occupation.
Subsequently, a Facebook restart code was sent to the fact-checker number he provided.
The WhatsApp account claimed that sharing this code with them was the only way to receive the “reward.”
However, the fact-checker refused to share the code and wrote that doing so would have caused him to automatically lose his account to hackers. After this inquiry, the fact checker received no further communication.
To further authenticate the link, we used Scamdoc, a tool that detects potential scams and fake websites, to analyze the link. Scamdoc flagged the contact as unreliable and without a specific owner – this a possible red flag that the account is associated with a scam.
We also contacted USAID for clarification but have not received a response. If we receive any response from USAID, we will update this report.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of our investigation of this link, we conclude that the viral link claiming that USAID is offering “real promotion” is fake and misleading. The link is a scam designed to steal personal information or hack social media accounts.
The public is strongly advised not to click, share, or engage with this link.
