EU Disowns Fake Compensation Scheme Over Alleged Trapped Funds In West African Banks

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The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has disowned a purported compensation programme claiming to offer financial recovery for individuals whose funds were allegedly trapped in banks and other financial institutions across West Africa, describing the document promoting the scheme as entirely fraudulent.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Press and Information Officer, Modestus Chukwulaka, in Abuja, the Delegation said its attention had been drawn to a fake document falsely attributed to the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union, Ms. Thérèse Blanchet, announcing a non-existent European Union–World Bank-assisted recovery programme.

According to the statement, the fraudulent document claims that the programme was established to compensate citizens of Europe and other countries whose legally transferred funds had become trapped in banks across West Africa due to alleged fraudulent practices.

The fake notice also falsely stated that the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS had been mandated to supervise the compensation process and directed potential beneficiaries to contact the ambassador to process their claims.

The EU categorically denied the existence of such an initiative, saying, “This document in its entirety is a scam. The information and claims contained therein are false. The European Union is neither aware of any such bogus programme nor part of it,” the Delegation said.

The Delegation further revealed that the email addresses and telephone number listed in the fake document as belonging to Ms. Blanchet and the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, are fraudulent and controlled by scammers.

It urged members of the public to disregard the fake information and avoid engaging with anyone claiming to represent the purported compensation programme.

The EU Delegation advised the public to rely only on its official communication channels for authentic information, noting that its website and verified social media platforms remain its only authorised means of public communication.

The Delegation also reiterated its commitment to combating misinformation and protecting the public from fraudulent schemes that exploit the European Union’s name and reputation.