Toba Owojaiye reporting
Abuja, Nigeria
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has identified five websites that are allegedly illegally collecting personal data from Nigerians.
This warning follows concerns raised by Paradigm Initiative about websites selling sensitive information like National Identification Numbers (NINs) and banking details. NIMC emphasized that these websites are not authorized and advised the public against providing their data to them, as it could be used fraudulently.
The Commission in a statement made available to Truth Live News on Saturday by its Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, said the websites engaging in the illegal harvest of data without its authority include:
NIMC urges the public to disregard any claims or services these websites offer and should not give their data as they are potentially fraudulent and data provided by the public on such websites are gathered and stored to build the data services they illegally provide,” it stated.
The Commission assured that Nigerians’ data remains secure and that it has stringent measures in place to protect against cyber threats. NIMC also clarified that its authorized partners are only allowed to verify NINs through approved channels, not store them. It stated its commitment to upholding data privacy laws and collaborating with law enforcement to tackle illegal data vendors.