How Fake Grants Turned Trust Into Money

Introduction

One of the most persistent forms of online deception in Botswana has not involved elaborate fake news stories or invented national legends. Instead, it has involved something more practical and potentially more costly: fraudulent grant and funding offers that borrowed the names, logos and reputations of trusted public institutions. By presenting themselves as ministries, ministers or government-linked development programmes, scammers created the impression that financial assistance was available to ordinary citizens, farmers, entrepreneurs or job seekers. The goal was usually to obtain personal information, advance fees, banking details or direct contact with potential victims. Official warnings issued by Botswana government departments show that these scams became recurring enough to require repeated public alerts.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

The pattern reveals an important feature of Botswana’s modern hoax landscape: the deception did not depend on spectacular lies. It depended on trust. A familiar ministry logo, a respected minister’s name and the promise of development funding often made fraudulent offers appear routine rather than suspicious.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

How the Grant Formula Worked

The typical scam followed a recognisable script. A fake Facebook page, social-media account or email address would imitate a government ministry or senior public official. The account then announced a grant, funding opportunity or special development programme supposedly available to members of the public.

Several elements made the deception persuasive:

Cybercrime researchers have long noted that social-media fraud succeeds by exploiting existing networks of trust rather than creating entirely new identities. Fake profiles and cloned accounts borrow authority from recognised organisations, making users less likely to question the message immediately.[arXiv]arxiv.orgarXiv A sneak into the Devil's ColonyA sneak into the Devil's Colony - Fake Profiles in Online Social NetworksMay 28, 2017…Published: May 28, 2017

In Botswana, the most successful versions of the scam relied on the public’s familiarity with government development programmes and international donor funding.

The Unity Dow Funding Impersonation

One of the clearest documented examples emerged in 2020 when Botswana’s Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation warned the public about a fake Facebook account impersonating Minister Unity Dow. The fraudulent page claimed that Dow would facilitate opportunities for 1,000 people to receive funding through a supposed European Union development programme aimed at small business development and farming.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

The ministry publicly stated that neither the minister nor the ministry was administering the advertised funding opportunity. Citizens were advised not to respond to the posts and not to provide personal information. Authorities further encouraged members of the public to report anyone using the fraudulent account.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

This case illustrates why the scam was effective. Unity Dow was not an invented figure. She was a well-known minister with a substantial public profile. The European Union was also a believable funding source because international development assistance is a familiar part of African public policy. The scam therefore combined two trusted names into a story that sounded plausible enough to attract attention.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

The same ministry had already issued earlier warnings about fake social-media accounts and emails falsely claiming to originate from Dow, indicating that impersonation of the minister was not a one-off incident but part of a broader pattern of identity-based fraud.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwnews detailThe Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation warn members of the public of a scam…Read more…

Fake Ministry Pages and Copied Logos

The Unity Dow case was only one example within a larger family of impostor grant scams.

In 2020, fact-checkers and government agencies identified fraudulent Facebook pages posing as Botswana’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. These pages advertised supposed business grants and relief funding programmes that did not exist. Botswana Innovation Hub publicly warned that one such advertisement was a scam and had no connection to either the ministry or the innovation agency.[Africa Check]africacheck.orgAfrica Check Scam!Botswana's finance ministry not advertising…8 Jul 2020 — “The aforementioned post is a scam and is not affiliated nor originated from…

The false offers often followed almost identical wording across multiple countries, suggesting that scammers were reusing a proven template while merely changing ministry names and national branding. Investigations found examples targeting Botswana that closely resembled similar fraudulent grant advertisements elsewhere in Africa.[AFP Fact Check]factcheck.afp.comfake posts offering non existing grants target entrepreneurs africaA Facebook search of keywords in the fake Zambia post led to a similarly-worded version of the false offer for…Read more…

Government departments continued issuing warnings about fake pages that used ministry names and branding to promote non-existent financial opportunities. Public notices repeatedly stressed that the pages were not official accounts and that members of the public should avoid providing personal information or engaging with the operators.[Facebook]facebook.comOpen source on facebook.com.

The copied logos and visual presentation were important. Many users evaluate authenticity through appearance rather than verification mechanisms. A page displaying ministry symbols, official photographs and formal language can appear legitimate even when it has no institutional connection whatsoever.[Africa Check]africacheck.orgAfrica Check Scam!Botswana's finance ministry not advertising…8 Jul 2020 — “The aforementioned post is a scam and is not affiliated nor originated from…

Why People Believed the Offers

These scams were successful because they were built around believable promises rather than impossible claims.

A fake message offering millions of pounds from an unknown benefactor would likely raise suspicion. A message announcing a development grant from a ministry, however, fits comfortably within everyday expectations. Governments regularly launch support programmes, training initiatives and development schemes. International donors frequently partner with public institutions. The fraud therefore exploited a situation that seemed ordinary.

Several factors increased credibility:

Authority borrowing. The scammer did not ask victims to trust a stranger. Instead, victims were asked to trust a ministry, minister or development institution they already recognised.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

Visual imitation. Official logos, photographs and government terminology reduced immediate suspicion.[Africa Check]africacheck.orgAfrica Check Scam!Botswana's finance ministry not advertising…8 Jul 2020 — “The aforementioned post is a scam and is not affiliated nor originated from…

Economic plausibility. Funding for entrepreneurs, farmers and small businesses matched genuine policy priorities in Botswana.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

Social-media amplification. Shared posts gained credibility simply because they appeared repeatedly in users’ networks. Research on online misinformation shows that repetition often creates a false sense of reliability even when the original source is unverified.[arXiv]arxiv.orgOpen source on arxiv.org.

The Warning Signs Behind the Grant Formula

Although individual scams varied, official warnings reveal a remarkably consistent set of warning signs.

Citizens were often encouraged to be cautious when they encountered:

Botswana’s ministries repeatedly emphasised that legitimate government programmes are announced through official channels and that citizens should verify opportunities directly with the responsible institution before sharing information or money.[dailynews.gov.bw]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

What These Scams Reveal About Trust

The significance of these impostor grant scams lies not in their technical sophistication but in their understanding of public trust. Rather than inventing entirely fictional organisations, scammers repeatedly selected institutions that already possessed credibility. Ministries, ministers, development agencies and international funding bodies became tools in the deception.

Within Botswana’s broader history of modern hoaxes and online falsehoods, these cases show a shift from dramatic rumours toward practical fraud. The objective was not merely attention or political influence. It was access to personal information, financial details and potential victims. The copied logos, fake Facebook pages and fabricated grant announcements demonstrate how authority itself became the central resource being stolen.[dailynews.gov.bw]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

The recurring need for official warnings from ministries, government departments and public institutions suggests that the greatest lesson of these episodes is not that people were unusually gullible. It is that trust in legitimate institutions remains valuable enough that fraudsters repeatedly attempt to imitate it.[Daily News]dailynews.gov.bwIn addition, the release says the ministry…Read more…

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Endnotes

1. Source: arxiv.org
Title: arXiv A sneak into the Devil’s Colony
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/1705.09929

Published: May 28, 2017

2. Source: arxiv.org
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.03461

3. Source: factcheck.afp.com
Title: fake posts offering non existing grants target entrepreneurs africa
Link:https://factcheck.afp.com/fake-posts-offering-non-existing-grants-target-entrepreneurs-africa

4. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/100081742416146/posts/public-noticefake-facebook-account-ministry-of-entrepreneurshipthe-ministry-of-e/435073375894073/

5. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/BotswanaGovernment/posts/press-release-beware-of-a-scam-on-ministrys-facebook-page-regarding-internationa/3227565730659396/

6. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/MinistryofInternationalAffairsBW/posts/%F0%9D%90%8F%F0%9D%90%91%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%92%F0%9D%90%92-%F0%9D%90%91%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%8B%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%80%F0%9D%90%92%F0%9D%90%84-%F0%9D%90%85%F0%9D%90%80%F0%9D%90%8A%F0%9D%90%84-%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%8C%F0%9D%90%80%F0%9D%90%88%F0%9D%90%8B-%F0%9D%90%8C%F0%9D%90%84%F0%9D%90%92%F0%9D%90%92%F0%9D%90%80%F0%9D%90%86%F0%9D%90%84-gaborone-15th-june-2021-the-ministry-of-interna/4430276970338088/

7. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/100064531278720/posts/-scam-alert-botswana-development-corporationbdc-is-aware-of-false-claims-circula/1275525164608514/

8. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/BWPresidency/posts/%EF%B8%8F-fake-investment-advertisement-alert-%EF%B8%8Fthe-office-of-the-president-has-noted-the/1613922993635630/

9. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/BotswanaGovernment/posts/fake-ministry-of-finance-and-economic-development-facebook-post1-the-ministry-of/1806416739440976/

10. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/eyeradioss/posts/fake-news-alertthe-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-has-urged-the-public-to-disregard/8165341930207687/

11. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/FinanceNamibia/posts/the-below-post-is-from-a-social-media-account-purported-to-be-that-of-minister-i/532423182324437/

12. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Ashni.K.Singh/posts/please-be-advised-that-the-circulating-portal-below-claiming-to-register-persons/1507381771397723/

13. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/BotswanaGovernment/posts/fake-facebook-page-alertthe-public-is-informed-that-the-first-lady-of-the-republ/3853326481416648/

14. Source: dailynews.gov.bw
Link:https://dailynews.gov.bw/news-detail/56179

15. Source: dailynews.gov.bw
Title: news detail
Link:https://dailynews.gov.bw/news-detail/49427

16. Source: africacheck.org
Title: Africa Check Scam!
Link:https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/meta-programme-fact-checks/scam-botswanas-finance-ministry-not-advertising-business

17. Source: Wikipedia
Title: Unity Dow
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_Dow

Additional References

18. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eocPbu73vvc

19. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE82LVz0-5I

20. Source: youtube.com
Title: TCS+ | Online scams in Africa: how cybercriminals trick victims
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DRngSyyhTY

21. Source: youtube.com
Title: THE STATE OF CYBERCRIME IN BOTSWANA AND STEPS THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO AVOID IT
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJSdq-I_WEQ

22. Source: x.com
Link:https://x.com/BWGovernment/status/1292819764444889088

23. Source: unodc.org
Link:https://www.unodc.org/documents/organized-crime/UNODC_CCPCJ_EG.4_2013/CYBERCRIME_STUDY_210213.pdf

24. Source: bankofbotswana.bw
Title: Public Notice Fake Facebook Page of the Governor
Link:https://www.bankofbotswana.bw/sites/default/files/press-release-files/Public%20Notice-Fake%20Facebook%20Page%20of%20the%20Governor.pdf

25. Source: allafrica.com
Link:https://allafrica.com/stories/202005150396.html

26. Source: youtube.com
Title: Regional police chiefs conclude Kasane meeting
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QlTYZiUYxo

27. Source: peacemaker.un.org
Title: keckrcreportckrc vol5part22003
Link:https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/default/files/document/files/2022/07/keckrcreportckrc-vol5part22003.pdf