The Niger Delta Development Commission has raised the alarm over the activities of fraudsters posing as officials of its Youth Internship Scheme to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
The commission said it discovered messages circulating on various social media platforms where scammers are asking youths across the country to submit their bank account details in order to receive a purported monthly stipend of N50,000.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Director of Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, said the commission maintains a verified database of beneficiaries for its skills and youth programmes, adding that many youths from the Niger Delta region have genuinely benefited from the scheme.
“The attention of the Development Commission, NDDC, has been drawn to the fraudulent activities of scammers using the Commission’s Youth Internship Scheme as bait to defraud unsuspecting people.
“In a message circulating on various social media platforms, the fraudsters are requesting that ‘all Nigerian youths’ submit their account details to receive a N50,000 monthly stipend from the Commission as beneficiaries of its Youth Internship Scheme.
“The criminals behind this deception are luring youths into falling for their phantom scheme, hiding behind the cover of NDDC’s various youth empowerment schemes.
“Please note that the NDDC has painstakingly documented beneficiaries, drawn from the Commission’s official database. Many Niger Delta youths registered for the scheme and benefited from the programme,” the statement read.
The commission urged youths and the general public to disregard such messages and verify information only through its official communication channels.
“We advise members of the public, especially our youths who are seeking genuine means of livelihood, to beware of the antics of scammers and seek information only from the NDDC official channels.
“It is indeed disturbing that some mischievous individuals are trying to take advantage of our youths who are genuinely eager to be gainfully engaged in legitimate activities.
“All inquiries about our Youth Internship Scheme and other empowerment programmes should be channelled through our official information platforms.
“We also encourage beneficiaries of our programmes to verify facts on the NDDC’s official website and social media handles,” the commission added.
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