Image: Namibia Fact Check / WhatsApp
A viral post in Namibian WhatsApp groups claims that criminals are posing as home affairs officers to rob homeowners
The lengthy post that was “forwarded many times” before reaching Namibia Fact Check for verification on 13 February 2024 reads as follows:
“HIGH SECURITY ALERT:
Beware, the bad guys are using the same method again to rob a house
It’s the same as with previous elections, just a little more sophisticated
It’s a group that goes door-to-door pretending to be internal affairs officers. They have documents and letterheads from the Department of Home Affairs and claim that they need to confirm that everyone has a valid identity card for the upcoming elections.They loot houses. Please note that no such initiative has been taken by the government. Please send this to your neighborhood group chat. They are everywhere and they look presentable. Please inform your family and friends. a person comes home and says * | want to take your photo/thumb impression under ‘Avushman Bharat’ scheme. They have a laptop, a biometric machine and a list of all his names. They show a list and ask for all this information. It is said that it is all False. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION Please tell women, especially if they show ID, please do not let them into the house. I am sending this post for your information. Everyone be alert and tell those who are not in the group.“
Forward to all groups.”
The viral post looked as follows when received by Namibia Fact Check:
Post history
The post appears to have been circulating in various social media spaces for years now.
The warning message was reported on in September 2019 by Snopes, an American fact checker. They found that the alert initially originated in South Africa, following a warning issued by the South African government about a real robbery scam that occurred in October 2017.
In March 2023, Africa Check found that the warning message also circulated in the US in 2019, the UK in 2022 and India in 2020. They found that there was no evidence that criminals were disguising themselves as home affairs officials in South Africa to gain access to private homes.
Police response
Namibian Police spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Kaunapawa Shikwambi, in response to a Namibia Fact Check request for a statement on the alert, provided the following information:
“I must confirm that the circulating message is not from the Namibian Police Force …
From the reported break-in cases, that method is not indicated. Therefore, such is not yet brought to the attention of the Police, meaning none such reports were made or cases opened.”
The police spokesperson also cautioned Namibian home and property owners to be vigilant, and to contact the police to report criminal activities.