A viral post circulated on WhatsApp and other social media platforms stated that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) had established a’special free correction portal’.
According to the viral post, citizens can amend their NIN details, such as name, date of birth, gender, and others, for free using the URLs supplied in the message.
The poorly written description attached to the link in the viral post further states, “Due to high level of complain (sic), the Federal Government have ‘urge’ NIMC to open up their correctional portal and attend to the complaints of bonafide citizens of Nigeria, and correction is free,”
VERIFICATION
When WITHIN NIGERIA spotted the viral message in a WhatsApp group, we noticed links such as https://gvly.xyz/Name-Correction-link, https://gvly.xyz/Date-Of-Birth-Correction-link, https://gvly.xyz/Gender-Correction-link, https://gvly.xyz/Other-Correction-link attached to the message do not carry the official gov.ng domain used by government institutions.
When our reporter clicked on these links, he was routed to gvly.xyz, a website connected with phishing activities. They install traps on these websites to steal users’ passwords and personal information, then entice them into sharing these links in order to attract more people with bogus claims.
However, a check by WITHIN NIGERIA on recognized social media platforms and the NIMC website revealed that there was no item about the free offer of data correction. The NIMC expressly indicated that data corrections incur fees and must be processed through the authorized self-service alteration portal, which includes presenting papers such as affidavits.
Furthermore, the National Identity Management Commission has warned Nigerians against a circulating online flyer claiming that a free NIN data correction portal has been opened, describing it as fake.
The commission, on its official X handle on Saturday, urged the public not to use the portal advertised in the flyer for any modification of their National Identification Number data.
“The public is hereby advised not to use the above for modifying their NIN data. All modifications should only be done via the official channel: https://selfservicemodification.nimc.gov.ng,” the post read.
The fake flyer, which had been widely circulated on social media, bore the NIMC and Federal Government logos and claimed that the Federal Government had directed the commission to open a correction portal following a “high level of complain.”
It listed options including name correction, gender correction, date of birth correction and others, with links directing users to a “gvly.xyz” domain which is not an official government website.
The flyer had been stamped “FAKE” in red, suggesting it was being recirculated by NIMC itself as a debunking notice.
NIMC has consistently warned that data modification services are only available through its official self-service portal.
VERDICT
The viral message on WhatsApp and other social media platforms claiming that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has opened a’special free correction portal’ is FALSE, MISLEADING, AND UNTRUE.
