HOAX: Notice that Sweden offers visa sponsorship and jobs in 2023 is a hoax | by PesaCheck | October 2022
The Swedish embassy has dismissed such messages as false information.
A message with a link on WhatsApp claims Sweden offers visa sponsorship and jobs for 2023 submitted for fact-checking via PesaChecks WhatsApp Tipline is a BUFF.
“Good news! SWEDEN VISA SPONSORSHIP AND JOBS FOR 2023 ARE NOW OPEN. In Sweden, many companies let all international students from all over the world work and study in Sweden. This is official news from the Swedish government. If you want to migrate to SWEDEN on sponsorship and get a job on arrival, don’t miss this opportunity as it is a golden chance to work in Swedish companies”, reads part of the message.
The notice cites the benefits as: “100% Visa Guarantee, Awarded Salary and Free Relocation Package”.
A similar message has also been shared Facebook before.
By clicking on the link, users will be taken to a web page “SWEEDEN(sic) SPONSORSHIP VISUM AND JOB PORTAL 2023” at the top and also contains an application form, where users have to fill in some details.
After filling out the form, users are then redirected to another page where they have to validate their name and education level to continue. The website also contains comments purportedly from people who have benefited from the program.
After this, users receive a notification that they have qualified for the program and are asked to share the message with others on WhatsApp to access the “Visa Form” page.
But sites that ask users to share a link with their contacts are typical baits aimed at increasing the reach of a scam and also collecting Personal Information.
In addition, Sweden is misspelled on the site, which makes it suspicious. PesaCheck conducted a WhoIs search of the website we fact-check to determine its authenticity.
The search results show it was registered on December 8, 2020, but the registrant information is masked with a website, which hides domain information. This is unlike what you would find with legitimate websites like the Swedish Embassy in Nairobi websitecreated in 2003 and shows that it is copyright protected by the Swedish Internet Foundation.
The legitimate site has no news regarding visa sponsorship and jobs planned for 2023. It is actually redirects people who may want information about visa applications to the Swedish Migration Agency.
On October 3, 2022, the Swedish Embassy in Kigali dismissed similar messages as false information.
PesaCheck has looked at a message with a link shared on WhatsApp claiming that Sweden is offering visa sponsorship and jobs for 2023 submitted for fact-checking via PesaChecks WhatsApp Tipline and found it to be a BUFF.
This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content flagged as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organizations like PesaCheck help sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to the posts they see on their social media.
Have you discovered what you believe to be false or fake information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here is more information about PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.
This fact-checker was written by PesaCheck Fact-Checker Harriet Ohio and edited by PesaCheck Senior Copy Editor Cédrick Irakoze and Acting Editor-in-Chief Francis Mwaniki.
The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck’s editor-in-chief Doreen Wainainah.
PesaCheck is East Africa’s first public finance fact-checking initiative. It was co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arensteinand is incubated by the continent’s largest citizen technology and data journalism accelerator: Code for Africa. It aims to help the public distinguish fact from fiction in public statements about the numbers that shape our world, with a particular emphasis on public finance statements that shape the government’s delivery of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) public services, such as healthcare, rural development and access to water /decontamination. PesaCheck also tests the accuracy of media reports. To know more about the project, visit pesacheck.org.
PesaCheck is an initiative of Code for Africathrough his the innovateAFRICA fundwith support from Deutsche Welle Academyin partnership with a coalition of local African media and other civic watchdog organizations.