A post circulating on WhatsApp claimed that the Federal Government of Nigeria has approved free online company registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for all self-employed and business owners. This, it said, is inclusive of several benefits.
This registration, the post claims, come with benefits that include a free trip to the United Kingdom, N50,000 cash, free international trade among 0thers. The post which was retrieved from a WhatsApp group on May 21, 2021, asked people to enrol for the registration via an attached web link.
The CAC was established in 1990 with the responsibility to regulate the formation and management of companies in Nigeria.
A false post shared on WhatsApp with a dubious website masquerading as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria.
THE CLAIM
The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved registration of companies online for free with benefits such as free trip to the United Kingdom, N50,000 cash, and free international trade, among others.
THE FINDINGS
The post read:
“FEDERAL GORVERNMENT HAS APPROVED All SELF EMPLOYED AND BUSSINESS OWNERS TO CARRY-OUT THEIR C.A.C(CORPORATE AFFAIR COMMISSION) REGISTRATION ONLINE FREE OF CHARGE
BENEFITS OF C.A.Cs are -Free N50,000 cash from FG -Certificate of Incorporation -Legal Liability Protection -Free International Trade -Continuity -Free Trip to UK -Reputation With Customers -Getting on FG Record. ENROL NOW.”
Checks by the FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
The FactCheckHub observed that the website attached to the claim has similar characteristics of phishing websites attached to claims previously debunked here and here.
The website attached to the claim is different from the official website of the CAC.
The official website of the CAC is cac.gov.ng and the page for company registration activities is https://pre.cac.gov.ng/home
The website in the claim seeks to fraudulently acquire people’s information as it asks people to fill in their basic information like email, phone number, name, business name and address.
You can learn how to identify phishing websites here.
The FactCheckHub findings show that the Federal Government had in November 2020 declared open free 250,000 business names registration for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on the sector.
No fewer than 100,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) eventually benefitted from free registration then, an initiative the phishers are probably riding on to perpetuate their phishing website.
Similarly, the spokesperson of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Duke Ukaja confirmed to the FactCheckHub that the post in circulation is false.
“It did not emanate from us, it is fake,” Ukaja told the FactCheckHub via a telephone conversation.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the Federal Government of Nigeria approved the registration of companies online for free with benefits such as a free trip to the United Kingdom, N50,000 cash, free international trade among others is FALSE; the information is neither from the CAC, nor the provided registration web link is that of the CAC.
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