Claim: Donald Trump is offering $350 grant to Africans and Europeans
Source: Viral message
Verdict: Hoax
Researched by Gifty Danso
A message announcing a grant scheme for Africans and Europeans has began circulating on WhatsApp after the re-election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America in early November 2024.
The message labelled “Forwarded many times” by WhatsApp is titled: “Donald Trump $350 grant for Africans/Europeans after winning presidential election in U.S.A.”
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Fig 1 – A screenshot of the message as circulated on WhatsApp
The widely circulated message demands unsuspecting individuals to click on a link provided to redeem the cash price and this fact-check report will seek to verify the authenticity of the claim.
Fact-check
Upon clicking the link, it opens to a website that requires users to select their descent, either as Africans or Europeans to win the $350 cash prize.
Screenshot of the landing page after clicking on the link
Next the participants are asked to provide their bio-data, including their gender and age range and whether they support Donald Trump.
Screenshot of what appears after answering the questions
Unsuspecting applicants are subsequently asked to select gift boxes in the hope of winning the cash prize and then the applicant is declared a winner. Subsequently, gullible applicants are asked to share the link with five groups and 15 friends on WhatsApp before they can claim their “prize.”
Screenshot of webpage asking users to share phishing link
To verify the link, GhanaFact ran it through virustotal.com, a security website that assesses documents and links for potential threats. The scan resulted in 11 security vendors flagging the link, as either malicious or phishing.
A phishing link is a fake link that cybercriminals use to trick people into giving away sensitive information or compromising their security.
Screenshot of virustotal.com analysis of phishing link
Additionally, using WHOIS information of the domain ‘damba-fest.org,’ GhanaFact discovered it was registered in Reykjavík, Iceland on October 3, 2023, updated on September 8, 2024, and is set to expire on October 3, 2025.
WHOIS also revealed that most information about the registrar was redacted while using the services of withheldforprivacy.com, which conceals registrant information when purchasing and registering domain names on behalf of clients.
A screenshot of the WHOIS information of the phishing link
Ghana Fact also ran a check on the official X account of US President-elect Donald Trump and found that no post was made concerning a grant scheme for Africans and Europeans.
Verdict
Therefore, the phishing link claiming that Donald Trump is offering $350 grants to Africans and Europeans is a HOAX.
