Yemisi Izuora
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has engaged security operatives to apprehend fraudulent data harvesters after unearthing operations of illegal websites.
These elements masquerading as online vendors are being trailed and when apprehended would be punished in accordance with the law.
This is coming as the Agency dismissed exposure of sensitive data of Nigerian citizens as it concerns the Commission amongst many other data-collecting agencies, as alleged and reported.
The Commission, at this moment, assures the public that the data of Nigerians has not been compromised, and the Commission have not authorised any website or entity to sell or misuse the National Identification Number (NIN) amongst all the identities stated in the report.
Head of Corporate Communications of NIMC,
Kayode Adegoke, in a statement shared with Oriental News Nigeria, listed, idfinder.com.ng; Verify. Ng/sign in, championtech.com.ng, trustyonline.com, and anyverify.com as data harvesters not authorised by NIMC to access or manage sensitive data.
Adegoke, therefore urged the public to disregard any claims or services identified websites offer.
He warned Nigerians not to give their data to those fraudsters as they are potentially fraudulent and data provided by the public on such websites are gathered and stored to build the data services they illegally provide.
He assured the public that the Commission has taken robust measures to safeguard the nation’s database from cyber threats- a secure, world-class, full-proof database is in place.
“The commission’s infrastructure meets the stringent ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System Standard, with annual recertification and strict compliance with the Nigerian Data Protection Law.
“Furthermore, NIMC advises Nigerians to avoid giving their data to unauthorised and phishing sites. This poses the danger of data harvesting and comprises individual data” he warned.
The Commission further reaffirmed its commitment to upholding ethical standards in data protection in line with federal government directives and data privacy regulations.
Adegoke, added that licensed partners or vendors are not authorised to scan or store NIN slips but to verify NINs through approved channels.
The NIMC also urged the public to remain vigilant against false information and rely on verified sources for accurate updates.
The Commission, Adegoke reaffirmed remains committed to providing secure and reliable identity management and upholding the highest level of security for systems and databases, which are critical national assets.