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Senior Reporter
A FACEBOOK scam using the identity of former Cabinet Minister Cde Francis Nhema has been exposed after trying to swindle a number of people offering them funding and investment opportunities in Zimbabwe.
The phony Francis Nhema has a number of prominent people as Facebook friends, among them politicians, businesspeople and journalists. With Cde Nhema’s picture on the profile, his brief biography which includes his academic qualifications, and
4 579 friends, the account makes for a genuine one.
Cde Nhema, the Zanu-PF National Assembly member for Shurugwi North constituency in the Midlands has since distanced himself from the Facebook account. The scammer behind the bogus Facebook account appears to be targeting Zimbabweans in the diaspora.
A number of people confirmed having received offers via their Facebook inboxes supposedly from Cde Nhema offering them opportunities to create employment in Zimbabwe and calling for project proposals. When one responds to the message, they are referred to a contact in South Africa who is supposed to assist with funding for their proposal. The contact only identified as Mr Johnson then asks one to pay a processing fee, something that has raised the suspicion of some alert individuals.
One Facebook user Mr Cosmas Ncube, who claims to have been preyed on by the scammer, posted on the account’s timeline accusing the character of the account a fraud.
Cde Nhema said he did not have a Facebook account but had been made aware that there were about four accounts under his name on the social media platform.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu