Following the activities of cyber fraudsters, who want to capitalise on the eNaira launch to fleece Nigerians, the Central Bank of Nigeria has alerted on the existence of a fake eNaira Twitter handle.
In a statement issued by the Director, Corporate Communications, Osita Nwanisobi, the CBN, noted, “Following the formal launch of the eNaira on Monday, October 25, 2021, the attention of the CBN has been drawn to criminal and illegal activities of some individuals and a fraudulent Twitter handle, ‘@enaira_cbdc’ purported to belong to the bank.”
CBN stated that the impostor handle and fraudulent persons have been posting messages relating to the eNaira, with the intent of wooing unsuspecting Nigerians with claims that the CBN, among other falsities, is disbursing 50 billion eNaira currency.
“These impostors are bent on defrauding innocent and unsuspecting members of the public through the links attached to their messages for application to obtain eNaira wallets and become beneficiaries of the said 50 billion eNaira currency,” Nwanisobi said.
According to the bank, for the avoidance of doubt, CBN is not the owner of that Twitter handle (@enaira_cbdc) and had indeed suspended its presence on Twitter following the Federal Government’s ban.
It added, “In effect, the bank is not disbursing eNaira currency to citizens. To this end, members of the public are hereby warned to be wary of fraudsters, who have resolved to take advantage of unsuspecting Nigerians.
“Members of the public should always endeavour to seek clarifications on information about the eNaira, either by visiting the eNaira website: www.enaira.gov.ng or calling the eNaira contact centre or visiting any CBN branch nearest to them.
“Any suspicious activity by members of the public should be reported to the CBN using helpdesk@enaira.gov.ng or to relevant law enforcement agencies. Please be guided accordingly.”
