False! Government Not Offering Instant CDF Loans and Grants via Mobile Money

Rating Justification

iVerify Zambia has determined as false the claim of an online advertisement that the Government of Zambia was informing the public that they could apply for Constituency Development Fund (CDF) loans and grants through a link provided in the advertisement.

An examination of the shared link https://tinyurl.com/Zambian-CDF-Grant and the associated website revealed that the link was deceptive as it led to a fraudulent website designed to mislead the public. The advertisement on the website featured fabricated testimonials from supposed beneficiaries. One of the comments stated “Thanks for this CDF Loan! I received my K500! Kudos to the Government of Zambia”.

The investigation also revealed that website address, https://grants.joinchatttx.xyz/Zambian-CDF-Grant.html#1741874062149, was fake as legitimate government websites typically end with .org or.gov.zm.

The advertisement’s claim that Zambians could receive up to K1,000 instantly via mobile money is not supported by any official government communication and is contrary to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development’s guidelines of 2022, which stipulate that applications for Empowerment Grants or Loans should be done through the prescribed forms (Appendix D of the guidelines). These forms are obtained free of charge from a Local Authority, Parliamentary Constituency Office, any public institution in the constituency, or identified financial institutions, as well as the Local Authority website. There are also procedures to followed when to access the CDF support, and these procedures include registration of a cooperative, company, or community group with the relevant authorities, and through which the required funds can be accessed.

Additionally, applicants are required to attach relevant documents, such as a National Registration Card (NRC) and other supporting documents, as part of the application process.

However, it should be noted that while some CDF application forms and information is available online for reference and downloading, applicants generally need to submit their CDF applications offline to the relevant authorities. This process is contrary to the advertisement circulating on social media that requests applicants to enter their mobile money number and required amount to complete the application and instantly receive the funds.

iVerify Zambia has previously debunked several fake grant and job offer schemes, and this is yet another one impersonating a government offer of CDF loans and grants to Zambians via a seemingly simplified but fraudulent online process. Members of the public are advised to be alert and avoid being victims of such online scams.