‘Be wary of fake social media accounts’

In a post on his X handle yesterday, Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet responsible for Presidential Communications, Mr George Charamba, said the Government was fully aware of the economic challenges facing civil servants and is actively working on measures to cushion them.

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
Government has warned the public to be wary of criminals using false social media accounts in the name of the First Family to extort money, and urged people to only follow statements that come through official channels. This was said by the Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Mr George Charamba, in a statement yesterday.

“The Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services wishes to advise members of the public that public communication involving the First Family is conducted through official channels only,” he said.

“This advisory comes against reports of rampant abuse of social media platforms by some criminal elements who have opened social media accounts in the name of the First Family without their blessing and who are using those same accounts to extort money from unsuspecting members of the public.”

Mr Charamba urged the public to treat any communication ascribed to the First Family on social media with caution.

“Kindly note, therefore, that any communication ascribed to the First Family riding on social media platforms, which are outside the official channels should be treated with caution and in any case, cross-checked with the Ministry or Office of the President and Cabinet. Members of the pubic are encouraged to report any such fraudulent communication to the police so that the culprits are brought to book,” he said.