NITDA warns CPM investors against ‘fund recovery’ scam
Agency denies involvement in efforts to recover funds from the online earning platform, says fraudsters may be exploiting victims through fresh payment demands.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned Nigerians against making additional payments to individuals or groups claiming to be recovering funds lost on the online marketing and earning platform known as CPM, describing reports linking the agency to such efforts as false and misleading.
The warning follows reports that subscribers of the platform were informed that the system had been “hacked” and that further payments were required to resolve the issue and facilitate the recovery of lost funds.
According to NITDA, some affected users were allegedly told that the agency was assisting with the recovery process and that additional contributions were needed to support the intervention.
However, the agency categorically denied any involvement in recovering funds linked to the platform and cautioned the public against falling victim to what it described as potentially fraudulent claims.
“NITDA wishes to categorically state that these claims are false and misleading,” the agency said in a public disclaimer issued on Monday by its Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations, Hadiza Umar.
The agency stressed that it does not request or collect money from members of the public to provide incident response services, recover lost funds, or assist private organisations in resolving cybersecurity incidents.
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“As a government agency and Nigeria’s Information Technology regulator, NITDA does not request or collect money from citizens to provide incident response support, recover funds, or assist private entities in resolving cybersecurity incidents,” the statement said.
The agency warned that demands for additional payments from affected subscribers could be part of a broader scheme designed to exploit victims who are already seeking ways to recover previous losses.
According to NITDA, the pattern of requests being reported bears the characteristics of social engineering tactics commonly used by fraudsters to gain trust and obtain money or sensitive information from unsuspecting individuals.
“Members of the public are therefore strongly advised to exercise caution and avoid making any additional payments to any individual, group, or platform claiming that such payments are required by or connected to NITDA,” the agency stated.
NITDA urged Nigerians to verify any claims of government involvement through official channels before taking action and warned against sharing personal, financial or security information with unverified persons or organisations.
The agency also advised members of the public to exercise caution when engaging with online investment, trading and earning platforms, particularly where promises of fund recovery are tied to new financial contributions.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over online investment-related fraud schemes, where victims are often targeted a second time by individuals claiming they can recover lost funds for a fee.
NITDA said it remains committed to promoting cybersecurity awareness and protecting Nigerians from cyber-enabled fraud and deceptive online activities, urging affected individuals to remain vigilant and report suspicious claims through appropriate channels.
