By Chioma Obinagwam
Nigeria’s statutory identity management agency, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has disclosed list of phishing sites Nigerians should be wary of while debunking allegations of exposure and sale sensitive data of Nigerian citizens.
NIMC told Confiance News in a statement signed by its Corporate Communications Head, Kayode Adegoke on Saturday.
“The Commission, at this moment, assures the public that the data of Nigerians has not been compromised, and the Commission have not authorised any website or entity to sell or misuse the National Identification Number (NIN) amongst all the identities stated in the report,” the statement indicated
According to the statement, the following websites: idfinder.com.ng; Verify. Ng/sign in, championtech.com.ng, trustyonline.com, and anyverify.com are data harvesters not authorised by NIMC to access or manage sensitive data.
“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,” NIMC advised.
The Commission added that it has taken robust measures to safeguard the nation’s database from cyber threat by providing a secure, world-class, full-proof database.
In addition, it said that the commission’s infrastructure meets the stringent ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System Standard, with annual recertification and strict compliance with the Nigerian Data Protection Law.
Furthermore, NIMC advises Nigerians to avoid giving their data to unauthorised and phishing sites. This poses the danger of data harvesting and compromises individual data.
“The Commission reaffirms its commitment to upholding ethical standards in data protection in line with federal government directives and data privacy regulations. Moreover, licensed partners or vendors are not authorised to scan or store NIN slips but to verify NINs through approved channels.
“The Commission is currently working closely with security operatives to apprehend these elements masquerading as online vendors, and they will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
NIMC urged 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 nation
al assets,” NIMC stated.
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