Very often, fake pages on Facebook are created with the intention of gathering followers through deception. These followers can then be converted to website traffic, customers, and ultimately money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Nigeria, it is common for pages to be publicly<\/a> offered<\/a> for sale<\/a>, with their value largely depending on the number of followers. This is especially likely for pages that pass off as big brands but do not share unrelated content. This one<\/a> that calls itself CNN National News<\/em>, for instance, only shared four news excerpts in 2014, four in 2015, one in 2016, and then updated its profile picture last November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But in their bid to reach wider audiences and maximise profits, the page administrators sometimes resort to sharing false information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An example is this page<\/a>, Vanguard NewsPaper Nigeria<\/em>, which instead of featuring the address of Vanguard\u2019s website puts up a blogspot address<\/a>. It also shares links from a different blog<\/a>. Two of the reports recently published had terribly misleading headlines, which contradicted the reports themselves: Breaking News: Attorney General to cancel US Election (See new development)<\/a> and Finally Nigeria Govt bows to pressure from CNN, release the name of those who died in EndSARS protest<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another example spotted by HumAngle was from a page<\/a> called Sahara ReportersUpdates<\/em>, also sharing links to websites unrelated to the prominent New York-based paper, Sahara Reporters. One of those reports, published in April, claimed<\/a> that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was giving out N5,000 to every Nigerian with a Bank Verification Number (BVN) so long as they clicked a link and followed the steps. The scam report has been viewed nearly 7,000 times as of November 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of those who follow these pages are misled to think they are run by the major brands. This is made obvious by the comments often passed on their posts. \u201cPlease, help us beg the management of National Open University to kindly caution how they released bad results for us the students,\u201d someone, for example, replied<\/a> last year to a post shared by a page impersonating AIT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a fact-checker at the Agence France-Presse (AFP), Segun Olakoyenikan, has come across many of these impersonating accounts, which he says are especially common on Facebook. He explained that the motives of the creators vary, from spreading political propaganda to simply generating controversy. Sometimes, after growing the pages\u2019 reach, they would change their names to suit their ultimate plans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe challenge we have now is that there is a trust gap. Media organisations across the country are working to ensure they bridge the gap but these guys are compounding the issue for journalists generally because their contents are mostly misleading or false,\u201d Olakoyenikan added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen they do that and are fact-checked, and people see Facebook calling them out for posting misleading information, people will think it is coming from reputable media organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Team lead for FactCheckHub, Victoria Bamas, also suggests that the trend of impersonation can be potentially harmful to the affected media organisations if not handled urgently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople might believe contents from such pages and, if such contents turn out to be dubious or pushing an agenda, the people exposed to these messages will have a negative perception from the organisation,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The attack of unarmed protesters by unidentified soldiers at the Lekki Toll gate in Lagos has generated several comments globally, in which case authorities in Nigeria have denied directing soldiers to attack\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Professor Ishaq Akintola, recently made a number of claims concerning the Arabic script on the Naira. The Lagos-based group claimed that the script on the naira is not\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Twitter user, Miz Cazorla (@MizCazorla1), on Tuesday shared a video which she said showed Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) recently bought by federal lawmakers are waiting to be distributed. Is this accurate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is quite mainstream that Nigeria\u2019s Economy is now in recession; the second recession in 5years<\/a> and the worst economic decline in almost four decades as reported by Daily Post<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Recession<\/a> occurs when a country\u2019s economy declines for six months at a stretch or two consecutive quarters. When things don\u2019t go as they should and the economy fails to grow for two successive quarters, recession sets in. It is a serious problem for any country and until now the last time this happened in Nigeria was in 2015\/2016. That may be caused by debt crisis, severe shortage of money, or shock like the coronavirus pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Slowed economic growth or a decline affects a country and citizens badly. It translates to a shortage of money, lack and loss of jobs, and could see companies cutting salaries. Revenue shortage can stall public services and projects as budget financing by the government becomes a problem. This could affect any sector from health to education to security. (Continue Reading here<\/em><\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the current recession became common knowledge, Nigerians have been complaining about the sudden increment in the prices of food items. This increment, according to a check<\/a> by Premium Times, came as a result of different factors which the Online paper has listed as: border closures, COVID-19 containment measures, insecurity, flooding during the wet season, poor storage facilities, and rising demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be alert, share our tips and don\u2019t share false news! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: Total cases may be more than officially stated owing to the inability to include unconfirmed cases. Stay safe<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n ALWAYS ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS! THERE’S MORE TO EVERY INFORMATION THAN MEETS THE EYE.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n An Online Blog, Global Excellence, published November 28th that Dr Tomi Coker, Ogun State Commissioner for Health, said there are 20,000 persons living with HIV in the state. While this may be true, there is also a tendency that it was made up. One can never be too careful on the internet; a widely acclaimed breeding ground where fake news knows no bounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dubawa has always talked about how fake news purveyors would reference authorities to gain relevance and solidify their inferences. This publication could be one of such cases, hence, be alert and do the needful – verify, verify and verify again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By Kunle Adebajo Have you been following the official Facebook page of that reputable media outlet or rather one of its many lookalikes? Telling the difference is increasingly getting difficult as scammers have now extended their duplication game beyond just the brand name and symbols. But while some of these pages share publications from the original news platforms, there are those that post other contents including fake news. Browsing through the social media platform, Facebook, HumAngle found 30 pages designed to pass off as one of nine news organisations: Al Jazeera, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Cable News Network (CNN), Vanguard News, Sahara Reporters, Television Continental (TVC), Channels TV, African Independent Television (AIT), and Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). The problem is, however, not limited to Facebook. Other social media websites also play host to fake accounts purportedly belonging to one news organisation or the other. In 2016, for example, Channels TV raised alarm over a Twitter account using its name and logo to share gossip and sensational news under the guise of \u201cparody.\u201d The account also cloned the original handle\u2019s username, bio, and location. Though not verified, it had gained over 188,000 followers. Very often, fake pages on Facebook are created with the intention of gathering followers through deception. These followers can then be converted to website traffic, customers, and ultimately money. In Nigeria, it is common for pages to be publicly offered for sale, with their value largely depending on the number of followers. This is especially likely for pages that pass off as big brands but do not share unrelated content. This one that calls itself CNN National News, for instance, only shared four news excerpts in 2014, four in 2015, one in 2016, and then updated its profile picture last November. But in their bid to reach wider audiences and maximise profits, the page administrators sometimes resort to sharing false information. An example is this page, Vanguard NewsPaper Nigeria, which instead of featuring the address of Vanguard\u2019s website puts up a blogspot address. It also shares links from a different blog. Two of the reports recently published had terribly misleading headlines, which contradicted the reports themselves: Breaking News: Attorney General to cancel US Election (See new development) and Finally Nigeria Govt bows to pressure from CNN, release the name of those who died in EndSARS protest. Another example spotted by HumAngle was from a page called Sahara ReportersUpdates, also sharing links to websites unrelated to the prominent New York-based paper, Sahara Reporters. One of those reports, published in April, claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was giving out N5,000 to every Nigerian with a Bank Verification Number (BVN) so long as they clicked a link and followed the steps. The scam report has been viewed nearly 7,000 times as of November 25. Many of those who follow these pages are misled to think they are run by the major brands. This is made obvious by the comments often passed on their posts. \u201cPlease, help us beg the management of National Open University to kindly caution how they released bad results for us the students,\u201d someone, for example, replied last year to a post shared by a page impersonating AIT. As a fact-checker at the Agence France-Presse (AFP), Segun Olakoyenikan, has come across many of these impersonating accounts, which he says are especially common on Facebook. He explained that the motives of the creators vary, from spreading political propaganda to simply generating controversy. Sometimes, after growing the pages\u2019 reach, they would change their names to suit their ultimate plans. \u201cThe challenge we have now is that there is a trust gap. Media organisations across the country are working to ensure they bridge the gap but these guys are compounding the issue for journalists generally because their contents are mostly misleading or false,\u201d Olakoyenikan added. \u201cWhen they do that and are fact-checked, and people see Facebook calling them out for posting misleading information, people will think it is coming from reputable media organisations.\u201d Team lead for FactCheckHub, Victoria Bamas, also suggests that the trend of impersonation can be potentially harmful to the affected media organisations if not handled urgently. \u201cPeople might believe contents from such pages and, if such contents turn out to be dubious or pushing an agenda, the people exposed to these messages will have a negative perception from the organisation,\u201d she explained. Read the full article here. FACT CHECKS OF THE WEEK How true is Lai Mohammed\u2019s claim blank ammunition can not kill anyone? The attack of unarmed protesters by unidentified soldiers at the Lekki Toll gate in Lagos has generated several comments globally, in which case authorities in Nigeria have denied directing soldiers to attack\u2026 \u201cIsrael\u2019s currency has Arabic inscription\u2026Nigeria is not a secular state\u2026\u201d \u2013 Other claims by MURIC fact-checked (2) The Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Professor Ishaq Akintola, recently made a number of claims concerning the Arabic script on the Naira. The Lagos-based group claimed that the script on the naira is not\u2026 This Video Of \u2018SUVs For Lawmakers\u2019 Is Over Four Months Old A Twitter user, Miz Cazorla (@MizCazorla1), on Tuesday shared a video which she said showed Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) recently bought by federal lawmakers are waiting to be distributed. Is this accurate? QandA What is a recession and how can it affect you? It is quite mainstream that Nigeria\u2019s Economy is now in recession; the second recession in 5years and the worst economic decline in almost four decades as reported by Daily Post. Recession occurs when a country\u2019s economy declines for six months at a stretch or two consecutive quarters. When things don\u2019t go as they should and the economy fails to grow for two successive quarters, recession sets in. It is a serious problem for any country and until now the last time this happened in Nigeria was in 2015\/2016. That may be caused by debt crisis, severe shortage of money, or shock like the coronavirus pandemic. Slowed economic growth or a decline affects a country and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[4,440],"tags":[1183,282,154,486],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[873],"class_list":["post-7040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-newsletters-updates","tag-dubawa-newsletter","tag-facebook","tag-lai-mohammed","tag-misinformation"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-1Py","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":873,"user_id":10,"is_guest":0,"slug":"dubawa","display_name":"Dubawa","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f70a877f6d81734de0ca299eabb33d20687f41f5a4cb83ae8d754fc9412ee293?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":"Strengthening Investigative Journalism for the fight against corruption in Nigeria."}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/weekly-newsletter.jpg?fit=1000%2C603&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7040"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=7040"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\nFACT CHECKS OF THE WEEK <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/UGLcXXNhtdNFhHz65BXni_CMW_BNW-Abe2fGniAgsiLc84AEZOAQN27MpkORyXWGUUX35Kq3JPwhwcbLbGwghC_zqyTjCyz0uom0d55yb3yVxf2yuCBucMpuAn-l3dWSZEXxRXaf\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/XRJLdnd1MVg75HRGPiH9h_fkhonkkxiu22heyqEDSL2RfDh5VnzZa8_9PlvYfvSRirHThcTJXOEfRK06jnvTHZwauZv-CqMfLXn49cjzB7S39aPYNQopR8wLrRvhBGNR8ad6CJ8K\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/UjsK4jaEURE1Gf6cBEb0-Mbv1d72LsmY782G00m7e19JCjkxvAo6phYPndK2WLbj-OeweQMXowFdGs11sTXQJYWZARQgmqBWSPYsBR1GUqUyF5DwBfQ-O77ebmNXJcLX-HXDlI8o\" "\\"\\"")
\n\n\n\nQandA<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhat can you do? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCoronavirus infection count <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTip of the week <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n#FakeNews Alert <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nOther Fact-checks\/Articles <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n