The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cautioned candidates preparing for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to be on alert for scam messages designed to mislead and defraud them.
In a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja, the board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, made it clear that the messages currently circulating are not from JAMB but from individuals trying to impersonate the board using deceptive means.
Naturenex reports that these fraudsters are manipulating a combination of the UTME code, 8863, and JAMB’s official short code, 55019, to craft messages that resemble authentic JAMB notifications. The messages often allege issues or inconsistencies in candidates’ registration records and then direct them to unknown contacts who claim they can offer solutions.
Benjamin described the act as a scam and warned candidates not to fall for such tricks.
“We want to emphasise that these messages are not from JAMB. Security agencies have been notified and are actively tracking the perpetrators behind this scam,” he said.
“Candidates are strongly advised to ignore such messages. This is a common tactic employed by fraudsters who seek to exploit the examination period to deceive and defraud innocent candidates.”
He also encouraged candidates and the general public to exercise vigilance when handling unsolicited messages related to the UTME. According to him, any message that does not originate from the board’s verified communication channels or contains suspicious content should immediately be treated as fraudulent.
