The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has raised an alarm to members of the public over the operation of a fake Twitter handle, @yusufPhilipYila, which was purported to belong to Philip Yila Yusuf, its Director, Development Finance.
This was disclosed by Isaac Okoroafor, the CBN Director of Corporate Communications, in a press statement that was released on Sunday, June 28, 2020, in Abuja, describing the operations of the fake Twitter handle as fraudulent.
According to information from News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the CBN’s spokesperson pointed out that fake messages relating to the bank’s N50 billion Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) had been posted on the Twitter handle with the intent of wooing unsuspecting loan seekers and owners of small-scale businesses to enter into correspondence with the fake handle.
The CBN Director warned unsuspecting members of the public, particularly households, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to stop any form of correspondence with the fake Twitter handle, while also informing them that the real Mr. Yusuf does not currently own a Twitter handle.
In the statement, Okoroafor said, “Although the CBN, through the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank (NMFB), has indeed disbursed loans to successful beneficiaries under its COVID-19 Targeted Credit Facility, none of the bank’s officials engages in direct interactions with prospective or successful applicants.
“We, therefore, find it embarrassing that Mr Yusuf has continued to be inundated with personal calls relating to messages from the impostor handle.”
The CBN Director also cautioned that anyone who enters into correspondence with the operators of the fake Twitter handle does so at his or her own risk.
He then advised prospective applicants to approach NIRSAL Microfinance Bank or any CBN branch nearest to them or tweet at @cenbank or @NirsalMFB for clarification on the procedure for accessing the TCF or any of the CBN-related loans.
