The European Union (EU) has alerted the public to a fraudulent compensation scheme falsely claiming that the bloc, in partnership with the World Bank, is offering financial compensation to individuals whose funds are allegedly trapped in banks and financial institutions across West Africa.
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS dismissed the purported programme as a scam, stressing that neither the European Union nor the World Bank has established or endorsed any such initiative.
The fake document, falsely attributed to the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union, Thérèse Blanchet, claims that a special EU-World Bank recovery programme has been launched to compensate citizens of Europe and other countries whose legally transferred funds were allegedly withheld by banks in the region.
The document further alleges that the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, has been mandated to oversee the compensation exercise and instructs prospective beneficiaries to contact him directly for payment processing.
Rejecting the claims in their entirety, the EU described the document as a deliberate attempt by fraudsters to deceive unsuspecting members of the public. “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 Delegation stated.
The EU also revealed that the email addresses and telephone numbers contained in the fraudulent document, purportedly belonging to Ms. Blanchet and Ambassador Mignot, are fake and are being used by scammers to lure victims.
It urged the public to disregard the false claims and avoid any interaction with individuals or groups promoting the fictitious compensation programme.
The Delegation emphasized that all official communications and announcements from the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS are released only through its official website and verified social media platforms.
The warning comes amid a surge in cyber-enabled financial fraud across the region, with criminal syndicates increasingly impersonating international organisations, government agencies and senior public officials to extort money through fake compensation claims, grants and investment schemes.
Security experts have consistently advised the public to verify unsolicited financial offers through official channels before responding or providing personal and financial information.
The EU reaffirmed its commitment to combating fraud and misinformation, while urging citizens to remain vigilant against scams that exploit the credibility and identities of reputable international institutions.
