Fact Check: Fake post on offer of financial grants for businesses

Claim: A Facebook account operating as the Department of Small and Medium Enterprises Development-Zimbabwe posted a notice calling on entrepreneurs seeking financial support to apply for grants through its department.

Is this true or false?

Verdict: False

The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MWACSMED) has dismissed the above claim as false, attributing it to criminal elements who were running a fake Facebook page.

The ministry issued a statement on its social media platforms warning the public to be wary of being scammed.

How to verify social media accounts

Find out who is posting on the platform
If it purports to be a ministry page, find out if it is the official account. It is usually linked to that particular ministry’s website or other social media platforms.
Inspect the timeline to investigate whether the user has a track record of posting factual and reliable information.
Try to understand the context within which a post was made.
Verify date & time stamp.
Check out the followers
Find out if the page was setup as a parody account to share jokes
Find out what other pages or media platforms say about the issues raised in the post
Lookout for obvious errors in the post
In some cases, one can get a clue in the comments section
Check if the URL in the post works