Source: Social media

Verdict: Fake

A short-composed message went viral on Tuesday on social media, especially in WhatsApp groups, indicating that the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) is offering 70kWh free units to all its customers.

Claim: 

The viral message claims: 

“NAWEC is offering 70 kWh free units to all customers to celebrate Christmas and the new year. Click CONTINUE below to verify your meter number and get the offer. Merry Christmas from NAWEC! Kindly validate your NAWEC Meter Number to proceed to the next step. Note! The offer is for all customers.”

FactCheck

A verification of the URL link accompanying the information has shown that the link is a fraud. The link provided has certain key words like “official” and “gov’t” which are not in the URL for the national water and electricity company: https://nawec.gm/. 

The information shared was not announced in any public or private media by NAWEC authorities as they usually do, and it was not published on NAWEC’s official Facebook page nor was it on the company’s website. 

The national water and energy company also dismisses the claims. 

“Dear Valued Customers,

Beware of a fraudulent scheme circulating as the “NAWEC Christmas Offer.” The scam falsely promises free GMD700 electricity units via this link: https://nawec.gm.officialgovt.site/. Please note: THIS IS A SCAM. NAWEC has not initiated any such Christmas offer, and the provided link is not official. Check https://www.nawec.gm for official announcements or contact customer service.”

Verdict

This information is fake and dangerous.

Note: Always verify the authenticity of the platforms that publish contents before clicking a link. It can expose you to online scam. 

This fake news alert (disinformation) was published with the support from the UN Peacebuilding Fund through UNESCO Dakar office under the project: countering hate speech and promoting responsible digital citizenship in The Gambia. The project is being implemented by the Open Media Centre (OMC), the publisher of Malagen.