Claim: A phishing link promises WhatsApp users 10 GB of data and 20 cedis airtime voucher
Source: Viral message
Verdict: HOAX
Researched by Gifty Tracy Aminu
A website promising WhatsApp users 10 GB of data and 20 cedis airtime voucher to celebrate Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia triumph in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries is a HOAX.
The phishing link which comes with a message is being widely circulated on WhatsApp, claiming the recently elected NPP presidential candidate has partnered with telecom companies in Ghana to reward supporters.
According to the viral message: “Mahamudu Bawumia Is Giving 10 GB Free To Supporters. Mahamudu Bawumia Organization partners with all network providers (to) Give out 10GB Free Data and 20GH Airtime Voucher to supporters to celebrate and to rally online.” The telecom companies listed as being part of the campaign include MTN, Vodacom, and Airtel.
Fact-Check
GhanaFact was first alerted to the message on November 5, 2023, a day after Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia won the race to become the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer ahead of December 7, 2024.
A cursory examination of the message and website, considering the telecom companies presently working in Ghana raised some red flags about the authenticity of the campaign.
A screengrab of the viral WhatsApp message
Vodacom is listed as a telecom partner in the campaign even though it is not a telecommunication service provider in Ghana – rather Vodafone is a known service provider in the country.
Each of the named telecom companies in the viral message came with a phishing link and after clicking the links attached to MTN, Vodacom, Airtel, and others, a picture of the Vice President pops up with a caption saying: “Mahamudu Bawumia 10GB free data to all my supporters.”
A screenshot of a web page after clicking on the phishing link
The web browser, Google Chrome has designated the phishing link as a “dangerous site” and further warns that “Attackers on the site you’re trying to visit might trick you into installing software or revealing things like your password, phone or credit card number.”
Google Chrome warns users against the phishing link
Furthermore, GhanaFact ran the phishing link through Google’s Safe Browsing technology – a service built to identify unsafe websites across the web and notify users and website owners of potential harm – and found the website was unsafe.
A screenshot of the results from Google’s Safe Browsing technology
Verdict
GhanaFact has looked into the website promising WhatsApp users 10GB of data to celebrate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s triumph in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries and finds it to be a HOAX.
