Several Facebook (FB) groups are spreading an alleged scholarship program offered by the Land Bank of the Philippines. These are scams that phish personal information.
Appearing as early as Jan. 15, these scams were published by FB accounts using the name of Landbank and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to make it appear legitimate. One of the more popular posts bore the following text:
“LAND BANK SCHOLARSHIP 2024-2025. COLLEGE STUDENTS: P10,000.00. SENIOR HIGH: P 9,500.00. HIGH SCHOOL: P 8,000.00. ELEMENTARY: P 7,500.00. Requirements: School id, Report card. APPLY HERE: [Link]”
To apply for the “scholarship”, one must click a link where they will provide their personal information – like their email addresses and full names – on a suspicious blog site. The deadline for application is supposedly in late February.
All of these offers are scams. Landbank has cautioned the public from entertaining these scammers on social media.
In a Jan. 26 post, Landbank’s official FB page stated that it has only one official scholarship program called the Iskolar ng LANDBANK Program (ILP). All 60 slots in the program have already been filled up and the program is “no longer accepting applicants.”
Landbank concluded the application and screening process for the ILP in November last year. The scholarship program aims to assist children or grandchildren of agrarian reform beneficiaries, small farmers and fisherfolk.
Earlier this month, the bank also released an advisory disowning an FB account with the name “Land bank update” and said any scholarship offer it introduces is a scam.
VERA Files Fact Check has flagged several scholarship scams using the names of different government agencies last year. (Read Impostor FB pages spread FAKE CHED scholarship posts and FAKE posts about VP Sara ‘DepEd scholarship’ spread on FB)
These fake offers emerged after Landbank announced the schedule of the release of cash grants for the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program earlier this month.
At least four posts were spread on FB group 4ps Nationwide updates (created on Sept. 27, 2021), collectively garnering over 4,100 reactions, 5,000 comments and 9,100 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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