Akpoti-Uduaghan distances herself from viral investment video, warns public against scam

From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja

The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has distanced herself from a viral video circulating on social media that portrays her promoting a fraudulent investment scheme and has warned Nigerians to disregard the content.

Akpoti-Uduaghan raised the alarm in a statement issued on Sunday night, describing the video as manipulated and misleading content created by fraudsters to deceive unsuspecting members of the public.

According to the senator, the clip was taken from a previous interview she granted to television journalist Seun Okinbaloye and edited by criminals to promote a fake investment platform.

She explained that although the video appears to feature her voice and image, it is entirely fabricated and should not be trusted.

“It has come to my attention that unscrupulous individuals have doctored and manipulated my interview with Seun Okinbaloye to promote a fraudulent investment scheme,” she said.

“Although the video looks like me and even sounds like me, it is not real. It is fabricated and misleading content created to scam unsuspecting members of the public.”

The Kogi Central senator urged Nigerians to ignore the circulating video and avoid engaging with any investment opportunity connected to the manipulated content.

“I urge the public to disregard the fake investment video and avoid engaging with or investing in any scheme linked to the manipulated content,” she stated.

Akpoti-Uduaghan also appealed to members of the public to report the page or platform hosting the video so that it can be taken down and to prevent others from falling victim to the scam.

She further called on relevant authorities and social media platforms to take swift action against those responsible for spreading the fraudulent content.

The lawmaker warned about the growing threat of digital scams and identity manipulation online, advising citizens to remain cautious while engaging on digital platforms.

“Please stay vigilant, stay safe, and be guarded against online scams,” she added.

Her warning comes amid increasing cases of cyber fraud involving public figures, where criminals manipulate images, videos and audio, sometimes using artificial intelligence tools, to give credibility to fraudulent investment schemes.