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| - Claim: Ghana is giving out money to parents for child support
Source: WhatsApp message
Verdict: HOAX
Researched by Gifty Tracy Aminu
A phishing message being widely circulated on WhatsApp claims Ghana has launched a Child Support Fund that entitles every Ghanaian parent to receive a monthly stipend of GH₵1,000 over the next six months to ameliorate the high cost of living.
The message that comes with a website link and a picture of the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo encourages all Ghanaian parents to apply for the child support scheme.
A screenshot of the phishing message
“Due to high level of complains from Ghanaian parents on the high cost of feeding their children, President Nana Akufo-Addo have urge that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to open the CHILD SUPPORT scheme. Every Ghanaian parents is entitled to receive the sum of GH₵1,000 for 6 months,” the phishing message partly reads.
Fact-Check
A cursory assessment of the phishing message showed a suggestion that the scheme was being managed by “the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation” which is an obvious red flag because Ghana does not have a minister with that portfolio.
Ghana has 30 sectoral ministers and 16 regional ministers coupled with their deputies but has no office for the ministerial position mentioned in the claim.
To further investigate the claim, GhanaFact accessed the website by clicking on the link. A page opens with a welcome note; “Welcome to government of Ghana GH₵1,000 child support funding registration portal,” and displays an image of President Akufo Addo.
A screenshot of a webpage after clicking on the phishing link
Beneath the photograph of the President is a section requiring unsuspecting individuals to provide their basic biodata, including name, family relation, emails, phone number and region and a question of whether the applicant is a first-timer or not with the instruction to proceed.
A snapshot of biodata requests after clicking on the phishing link
Using the WHOIS digital tool, GhanaFact sought to identify the persons behind the phishing link and the message circulating on WhatsApp.
The tool showed that the domain – legit-opportunityfy.online – platform was registered in Arizona in the United States of America (USA) and was created on January 1, 2024, and is due to expire on January 1, 2025.
A screenshot of the results after the phishing link was checked on WhoIS
“It is not true,” the Public Relations Officer of Ghana’s Ministry of Information, Munira Karim, told GhanaFact when contacted about the viral phishing message.
Verdict
The message circulating on WhatsApp is a HOAX.
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