HOAX: Government not giving out Sh3,700 for survey

A post that has been doing rounds alleging that the government is giving out Sh3,700 as a gift for an annual survey is a hoax.

The link GoK Gifts invites unsuspecting Kenyans to participate in an annual survey and thereafter win the said amount.

On clicking the link, you are welcomed by a congratulatory message and notified that you have at least three minutes to answer four questions.

"Today, 29 March 2021, you have been chosen to participate in our survey. It will only take you a minute and you will receive a fantastic prize: Sh3,700 Mpesa Gift!. Each Monday we randomly choose 50 users to give them a chance to win amazing prizes. Today's prize is a Sh3,700 Mpesa Gift! There will be 50 lucky winners," reads part of the message.

According to the link, the survey although with no specifics on a particular topic aims to improve the quality of service to its citizens.

"... your participation will be rewarded 100%. Hurry up, the number of prizes available is limited!," the message reads.

On answering the questions, one is given three chances to pick a gift box upon which if lucky, you are required to share the link on five WhatsApp groups or 20 friends as a pre-condition to get the gift.

As the last step, one is required to submit details of their email address and phone numbers.

On submitting, one is left stranded with no confirmation as to what happens next.

Using online tools, Star's fact check investigated the origin of the link and established that it was created on March 22, 2021 with its registration set to expire on March 22, 2022.

However, key names like the owner of the website and names of the registrant are withheld due to privacy purposes.

Government accounts are usually in .go.ke format but this account is gokgifts.com/survey/# format as at Account.

Lastly, the government does not give money to its citizens in order to participate in a survey.

The Star concludes therefore that the account is a HOAX.