The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has identified five websites that are allegedly collecting Nigerians’ data illegally.
This announcement follows warnings from Paradigm Initiative about certain websites selling sensitive personal information, including National Identification Numbers (NIN), Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), and International Passports.
The NIMC, through a statement by its Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, named the websites involved in these illegal activities as idfinder.com.ng, Verify.Ng/sign in, championtech.com.ng, trustyonline.com, and anyverify.com. Adegoke urged the public to avoid these sites, warning that they are potentially fraudulent and use the data provided to build illegal data services.
“NIMC urges the public to disregard any claims or services these websites offer and should not give their data as they are potentially fraudulent,” Adegoke stated. “Data provided by the public on such websites are gathered and stored to build the data services they illegally provide.”
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Despite the allegations, the NIMC assured Nigerians that their data has not been compromised. The Commission emphasized that it has implemented robust security measures to protect the NIN database. “The Commission assures the public that the data of Nigerians has not been compromised, and the Commission has not authorized any website or entity to sell or misuse the National Identification Number (NIN) amongst all the identities stated in the report,” Adegoke said.
He also highlighted that the Commission’s infrastructure complies with the stringent ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System Standard and the Nigerian Data Protection Law, ensuring a secure and full-proof database.
The NIMC advised Nigerians to avoid providing their data to unauthorized and phishing websites due to the risk of data harvesting and compromise. The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to upholding ethical standards in data protection and stated that its licensed partners or vendors are only authorized to verify NINs through approved channels, not to store NIN slips.
Additionally, the NIMC is working closely with security agencies to apprehend those posing as online vendors and involved in these fraudulent activities. “NIMC urges the public to remain vigilant against false information and rely on verified sources for accurate updates. The Commission remains committed to providing secure and reliable identity management and upholding the highest level of security for systems and databases, which are critical national assets,” the statement added.
The backstory to this development includes a warning from Paradigm Initiative, a Pan-African social enterprise, which highlighted the unauthorized access to and sale of sensitive personal and financial data of Nigerian citizens by certain websites. Paradigm Initiative noted that such breaches present significant risks, including identity theft, financial fraud, and threats to individuals’ safety. The organization warned that these activities could undermine the stability of Nigeria’s banking system.
“This alarming development presents a major breach of the fundamental rights to privacy, a breach of data privacy rights, and poses significant risks to individuals and the national economy,” Paradigm Initiative stated. They emphasized the dangers of such data being used for malicious activities and the potential impact on the stability of the national banking system.