EU disowns fake compensation scheme over alleged trapped funds in West African banks

The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has disowned a purported compensation programme claiming to reimburse individuals whose funds were allegedly trapped in banks and other financial institutions across West Africa, describing the scheme as fraudulent.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the Delegation said its attention had been drawn to a fake document falsely attributed to the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union, Thérèse Blanchet.

According to the EU, the document claimed that the European Union and the World Bank were jointly implementing a recovery programme to compensate citizens of Europe and other countries who had lost money through alleged fraudulent handling of fund transfers in Africa.

The fake document also alleged that the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS had been mandated to supervise the compensation process and directed prospective beneficiaries to contact him.

However, the delegation dismissed the claims, stressing that neither the European Union nor the World Bank was involved in any such programme.

“The document in its entirety is a scam. The information and claims contained therein are false. The European Union is neither aware of any such bogus programme nor part of it,” the statement said.

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The delegation further disclosed that the email addresses and telephone number listed in the document as belonging to Ms Blanchet and the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS were fabricated and operated by fraudsters.

It urged members of the public to ignore the fake document and avoid engaging with those behind the scheme.

The EU also advised the public to rely only on its official website and verified social media platforms for authentic information and announcements, warning that scammers often exploit the names of international organisations and senior officials to deceive unsuspecting victims.