Five websites that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) claims are fraudulently stealing Nigerians’ data have been named.
This is in response to the recent warning from Paradigm Initiative over the sale of Nigerian nationals’ passports, international identification numbers, bank verification numbers, and other personal information by certain websites.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Commission’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, listed the websites that are unlawfully harvesting data without authorization, including:
- com
- com.ng
- com.ng
- com
- Ng/sign in
“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 said in a statement.
No data breach involving Nigerians
The Commission added that it has taken steps to fortify the NIN database and that it has not compromised the sensitive data of Nigerians, despite what Paradigm Initiative had claimed.
“The Commission reassures the public that, as of right now, no website or entity has been granted permission by the Commission to sell or misuse the National Identification Number (NIN) among all the identities mentioned in the report, nor has the data of Nigerians been compromised.”
“The public should know that the Commission has taken robust measures to safeguard the nation’s database from cyber threats- a secure, world-class, full-proof database is in place. The commission’s infrastructure fulfils the demanding ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System Standard, with annual recertification and strict adherence to Nigerian Data Protection Law,” it stated.
Nigerians were cautioned by NIMC not to provide personal information to phishing and unapproved websites since they could be used for data harvesting.
Partners not permitted to keep data
The Commission stated that its licenced partners or vendors are not authorised to scan or store NIN slips; instead, they must verify NINs through authorised channels. The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to upholding ethical standards in data protection in accordance with federal government directives and data privacy regulations.
In order to capture those posing as internet suppliers, NIMC stated that it is closely collaborating with law enforcement. If caught, these individuals would be subject to the full force of the law.
“NIMC exhorts the public to be on the lookout for misleading information and to trust credible sources for up-to-date information. The Commission is still dedicated to offering dependable and safe identity management as well as maintaining the highest standards of security for databases and systems, which are vital national resources,” the statement read.
