Ignore social media posts promoting ‘free USA visa sponsorships and grants’ from Nigerian government
IN SHORT: Facebook posts are attempting to lure users with the promise of “Free USA Visa Sponsorships and Grants”, allegedly from the Nigerian government. But be warned, they’re out to scam.
“Free USA Visa Sponsorships 2024/2025 and N85,000 Grants from Nigeria Govtt to every Nigerians,” reads an 11 March 2025 post on Facebook.
The post includes a graphic featuring a photo of Nigerian president Bola Tinubu and a short form asking for personal details, including name and email address.
It also encourages interested Nigerians to apply via the link attached.
Other versions of the claim feature different amounts and graphics with photos of Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
More posts advertising these visa sponsorship opportunities and grants from the Nigerian government can be found here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is this claim true? We checked.
It’s a scam
There are several signs that the Facebook posts cannot be trusted. First, they contain spelling and grammatical errors, such as “Govtt” and “every Nigerians”. Communication about a genuine programme from the Nigerian government would be unlikely to include such mistakes.
Second, the posts lack crucial information, including who is eligible for these offers and the closing date for applications.
Third, they give different amounts for the grants. Some say it is N85,000 (about US$54), while others put it at N70,000 (about $45).
Some users are leaving their personal information in the comments section, including banking details. Scammers could use this information for identity theft and fraud.
Buhari and Tinubu do not mention such an initiative on their social media accounts.
There are also no new reports about this. Such an initiative, which could benefit hundreds of Nigerians, would have caught the attention of the media.
The link attached to the posts directed us to a website with the headline: “Your Chance for a Free USA Visa Sponsorship! Congratulations! You are about to get your grant and free USA visa sponsorship.”
The website asked for our citizenship, if we had a bank account and if we’d like a “free USA visa sponsorship”. After replying to these questions, we clicked the “apply now” button, which led us to another website about visa types and how to apply for them.
The posts aim to direct traffic to these websites, which may make money as more people visit them.
To protect yourself, read our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.
The same claim can be found here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
