Four Facebook (FB) posts carrying a link to a bogus website claim that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is giving away ayuda (financial aid) worth P8,000 to P10,000. Not true.
The posts carried this caption:
“Good News!! 8k to 10K ayuda mula kay PBBM | LAHAT NG NAG MESSAGE SA AMIN, MAG PALISTA KAYO DITO SA LINK PARA MAIPADALA NA SA INYO
(Good news! P8,000 to P10,000 financial aid from [President Marcos] | Click this link and be part of the list to be given financial aid).”
Users who click the fake link are redirected to Blogspot website Libreng Ayuda Pilipinas, which tricks people into submitting personal information through another bogus post pretending to give medical scholarships under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The claim appeared after House Speaker Martin Romualdez said last December that near-poor families could receive a one-time cash aid worth P5,000 through the Congress’s Ayuda sa Kapos sa Kita Program.
Similar to other scams previously debunked by VERA Files Fact Check, the bogus CHED scholarship post – also on Blogspot – asks people to submit their name, address, name of school, and contact number in the comments section.
CHED did offer a medical scholarship for the first semester of academic year 2023 to 2024, but applications were routed through state universities and private colleges.
To look legitimate, the Libreng Ayuda Pilipinas Blogspot page carried a copy of a March 16, 2023 article by the Manila Bulletin about Marcos saying that the government will continue distributing financial aid to those in need.
Blogspot user Axie, creator of the Libreng Ayuda Pilipinas webpage, is behind other scam websites debunked by VERA Files Fact Check.
A post by FB page Bong Bong Sara Online Tulong Para sa mahihirap, which carried the bogus link, garnered 56 reactions, 133 comments, and 218 shares. Three reshares to impostor FB group DSWD NEWS AND UPDATE got a total of 566 reactions, 750 comments, and 50 shares.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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