A WhatsApp message telling Nigerians that the Federal Government has selected them to receive ₦50,000 under the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI), and asking them to “confirm below” through a link, is a scam. The real NERSI relief has no application, no registration link and no fee.
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Key Highlights
- A WhatsApp broadcast claiming “FGN has selected you to receive ₦50,000 cash under NERSI” asks recipients to “confirm below” through a shortened link.
- Under the official NERSI guidance, there is no application form, no registration portal and no fee.
- Genuine beneficiaries get an SMS from one of five approved providers: ALAT, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay or Moniepoint. They accept by replying YES or using the provider’s code, not by clicking a link.
- Rights activist Segun Awosanya, cybersecurity group PhishCore and OPay have all warned Nigerians on X against NERSI links and fees.
- The official NERSI helpline is 0700-022-2222.
What the fake NERSI message says
The message, being forwarded in WhatsApp groups and broadcast lists, opens with the words “FGN has selected you to receive ₦50,000 cash under NERSI to help with living costs”. It claims the money is “free” with “no deduction” and tells the reader to “confirm below”, followed by a shortened web link. One version seen by The Trumpet points to a link on the linkurlpro domain. The Trumpet is not publishing the full link.
Many people who received it are trying to check whether it is real. The exact wording of the message has been searched online repeatedly in recent days, a sign that it is spreading widely.
The link does not lead to any government platform. Sites like this are commonly used to collect phone numbers, bank details, BVN, NIN or one-time passwords (OTPs), which can then be used to empty bank accounts or take over wallets.
How the real NERSI ₦50,000 payment works
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction says NERSI beneficiaries are selected from the National Social Register and verified national identity records. Nobody can apply, and no official or agent can add a name to the list.
A selected beneficiary receives an SMS from one of the five authorised payment providers: ALAT, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay or Moniepoint. The SMS explains how to accept the payment, usually by replying YES or by dialling the provider’s own code. After consent, the ₦50,000 is credited to a mobile wallet linked to the beneficiary’s phone number and NIN. Payments are going out in batches, so some people get their messages later than others.
The genuine message does not ask anyone to click a link, fill a form, pay a fee or share a PIN or OTP.
What people are saying on X
Rights activist Segun Awosanya warned his followers on X on 7 November that a ₦50,000 “FG cash transfer, no BVN needed” link circulating on WhatsApp was “a phishing scam”, adding that the real NERSI relief has no application or fee and that beneficiaries get an SMS from an approved provider. “Don’t click it,” he wrote.
Cybersecurity awareness group PhishCore said in a post that scammers were “already exploiting” the relief intervention through fake registration portals, WhatsApp broadcasts and suspicious links. It reminded Nigerians that NERSI is meant for selected, verified beneficiaries and is “not an open registration exercise”, and urged anyone who had already entered sensitive details on such a site to contact their bank immediately.
OPay, one of the approved payment partners, told customers in a post on 5 November that beneficiaries should claim through the NERSI banner inside the official OPay app and listed 0700-022-2222 for enquiries. OPay’s post has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
Several other users and community pages have posted similar warnings, telling followers not to click any NERSI link shared on WhatsApp, Facebook or X, and noting that many scam links are using “Receive ₦50,000 cash under NERSI” as bait.
Read also:
- Scam Alert: Fake Yahaya Seriki ₦50,000 Grant Link (cut-ly.com) and Fake Nigeria for Women Project Links
- Narsi Grant (NERSI ₦50,000): FG Explains Who Qualifies and How Payment Works
- MTN Nigeria Government Grant USSD Code: Dial *671*0# to Check FG ₦50,000 Eligibility
- SERAP Sues FG at ECOWAS Court Over ₦78.8bn Cash-Transfer Funds as Transparency International Questions NERSI Funding
How to protect yourself
- Do not click any link in a message promising ₦50,000 under NERSI, and do not forward it.
- Never enter your BVN, NIN, bank details, card number, PIN or OTP on a website you reached from a WhatsApp, Facebook or Telegram link.
- If you are selected, the message will come by SMS from ALAT, MoMo PSB, NairaGram, OPay or Moniepoint. Check it inside the provider’s official app or by calling its official customer service.
- Do not pay anyone who promises to add your name to the list or speed up payment.
- If you have already entered your details on a suspicious site, call your bank at once, change your PINs and passwords, and report it.
- For questions about NERSI, call the official helpline on 0700-022-2222.
For more scam alerts and updates on government relief programmes, follow us on X.
