Muluzi issues alert on fake Facebook accounts: Malawi Red Cross disown posts
Minister of Health and Population Atupele Muluzi has has disowned Facebook accounts that bearing his names, images, asked the public to ignore and treat it as mischievous.
Posting on his genuine Facebook account – Atpele Muluzi MP – the minister who is also United Democratic Front (UDF) president said the content in the fake accounts is “spam.”
He wrote: “Unfortunately some of the content is particulary damaging and has suggested that the Malawi Red Cross are requesting payment for employment. Both the Malawi Red Cross and I refute this – please do not be misled.”
Muluzi said he is working withe Facebook to have the fake accounts withdrawn and the issue is being reported to the Police.
“For those of you who have supported my Facebook page, you will know that the content has only ever been positive and in keeping with my political and personal values and beliefs,” wrote Muluzi in a post seen by Nyasa Times.
He condemned the “fraudulent use of social media” saying it is both a criminal act and damaging to the development of Malawi’s democracy and said it will not be tolerated.
Malawi Red Cross Society also issued a separate statement signed by ists communications director Felix Washon, saying there are some unscrupulous people who are publishing adverts on social media claiming the society is recruiting 100 jobs.
Reads the statement: “Malawi Red Cross Society wishes to distance itself from this false and unfounded claims. This information is misleading and not true.”
Red Cross said it does not demand any payment from the public when filling its vacant positions and condemned the act of defrauding Malawians using its name.
President Peter Mutharika is on record to have warned Malawians to use the social media responsibly, warning that those who use it irresponsibily will be dealt with as the country now has laws for dealing with such crimes.
Mutharika said among the laws that can be used to fight cyber-crime are Cyber Security Act, Access to Information Act, Electronic Transactions Act and Communications Act.
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Apart from the one for red cross there is also another one for United Nations environmental program data entry clerks. which suggests UNEP is looking for 1500 people from Malawi Zambia and Uganda to work as datat entry clerks in Kenya.
Many people applied and they are requesting $95 for data handling training.
This is all fake
boma lomweli antu ena mpaka tikutawila Ku Joni ena angodyelela pa ntundu basi ife nkumavuti
siufumu axse mpado Wa u president mpaka kumangosintana pantundu kapena kumatikakamiza zitingovotera antu okaokao ayi tatopa tiziona nkope za new one
I totally sympathize with you, Atupele. I am also a victim of multiple fake Facebook accounts bearing my name. I am a well-known person but my name is unusual and unique that it is highly unlikely that there can be two of us bearing the same name (let alone a lot of us) on Facebook. I have discovered that some unscrupulous people have created these accounts to post offensive material on social media. The profiles of these accounts usually have indistinct pictures ( or even my pictures downloaded from my genuine account) . I have complained to Facebook but I… Read more »