SCAM ALERT: Finance ministry didn’t ask for donations to fight COVID-19, says Zainab Ahmed

Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, says her ministry did not request donations from the public to tackle coronavirus in the country.

In a statement on Sunday, Yunusa Abdullahi, special adviser on media & communications to the minister, dissociated the ministry from a letter circulating on social media requesting donations from the public.

Abdullahi said the letter was a ruse to deceive the public and defraud them.

He said the ministry did not at any point appeal to the public for donation, and that neither has it received any donation to that effect.

The spokesman described the letter as a scam and asked the public to disregard it.

“The attention of the Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning has been drawn to the activities of fraudsters impersonating the Ministry in an attempt to defraud unsuspecting members of the public,” the statement read.

“Of particular concern to the Ministry is the recent purported letter circulating on Social Media and part olds content reads thus ‘DONATIONS SO FAR FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID -19 IN NIGERIA” referenced FMF/HMF/EFCC1S-EFFE-REC/2020/1, and dated 28th March, 2020.

“The purported letter mentioned names of notable Nigenans including Aliko Dangote, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Tony Elemelu, Jim Ovia, Tuface Idibia, Atiku Abubakar, NNPC, Access Bank, among others.

“The letter concluded by appealing to Nigerians to “Please give the little you have to aid the fight against Covid-19 Nothing is too small.”

“We wish to inform all members of the public particularly members of the social media community that by this statement the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the Office of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning disassociate itself from the purported donations and letter. It is fake, it is a SCAM.

“The Minister has, therefore, called on all Nigerians and the general public to disregard the letter for what it is —a SCAM. The Ministry has neither put out a request for donations nor received any.

“The Ministry also wishes to warn the general public that it will not be liable for any financial transaction which may have transpired between people and scammers who have created emails or social media accounts in the name of the Ministry or principal officers of the Ministry.

“Accordingly, the Ministry wishes to advise all members of the public to desist from transacting business(es) with imposters as doing so would be at their own risk.”