The National Information Technology Development Agency has distanced itself from claims that it is involved in efforts to recover funds allegedly lost by users of an online earning and marketing platform identified as “CPM.”
In a disclaimer issued on Monday via X, the agency described the claims as false, warning Nigerians against making additional payments to individuals or groups purporting to act on its behalf.
The statement, signed by the Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations at NITDA, Hadiza Umar, said the agency had received reports indicating that subscribers of the CPM platform were informed that the system had been hacked.
According to the agency, affected users were allegedly told that further payments were required to fix the issue and facilitate the recovery of their funds, with claims that NITDA was supporting the process.
“NITDA wishes to categorically state that these claims are false and misleading,” the statement said.
The agency stressed that it does not demand or receive money from citizens for cybersecurity intervention, recovery of funds, or support services relating to online fraud incidents.
“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 added.
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The agency warned members of the public to be vigilant and avoid falling victim to further exploitation by fraudsters disguising themselves as government-backed recovery agents.
It noted that the pattern of demands being made to victims bears the characteristics of social engineering and online fraud schemes aimed at exploiting individuals already affected by financial losses.
NITDA advised Nigerians to exercise caution when engaging with online investment and digital trading platforms, urging them not to send additional funds in attempts to recover previous investments.
The agency also encouraged the public to verify claims of government involvement through official communication channels and avoid disclosing sensitive financial or personal information to unverified persons or organisations.
“NITDA remains committed to promoting cybersecurity awareness and protecting the public against cyber-enabled fraud and deceptive online activities,” the statement concluded.