The government smuggled stolen artifacts into the UAE
A Telegram channel with over 334,000 members claimed that the Ethiopian government smuggled stolen artifacts from the Amhara and Tigray regions to the UAE and that half of the stolen artifacts were sent to Vatican City, Rome and half of them were given to Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The post was viewed by close to a hundred thousand users and thousands reacted to it.
The claim is false. The images used to support the claim are old and were found published on websites. The one image that shows gold bars was published on a website called the PicLoc. According to the information on the website, the gold bars are for sale. The second image was published on a Turkish website and claimed to belong to a house-to-house transportation service company named Özdurmuşlar in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey. The image shows household items and it was presented to describe the company that it gives household items transportation services.
During the war between the TPLF and the Ethiopian government in 2020, there were allegations of looting of relics after some artifacts appeared for sale on websites including eBay. There were false claims backed with videos and images that stolen artifacts from Tigray were being sold in foreign countries.
However, there is no evidence to support the claim that the Ethiopian government smuggled stolen artifacts to the UAE. The images used to support the claim are false.
Child detention during Demera
A Facebook media post claimed that a child was snatched away from her parents and detained by federal police officers for wearing a dress with a red, green, and yellow color pattern during the Demera celebration. The post was widely shared on different social media.
The government had warned against holding or wearing any unrecognized flags and symbols during the Demera celebration, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church had also warned attendants not to carry with them or wear provocative symbols or unrecognized flags except the red-yellow-green flag that has the Church’s symbol.
However, the claim that a child was detained for wearing a dress with a red, green, and yellow color pattern during the Demera celebration is false. The image used to support the claim is old and was published on January 2022 on X.
False Telegram channels: Safaricom and Amhara Bank
Telegram channels and TikTok accounts have been opened in the names of Safaricom and Amhara Bank respectively. These channels are fake and are not affiliated with the real companies.
The Safaricom Telegram channel is offering a challenge promising to reward 3,000 Birr for those who add people to the channel. However, this challenge is a scam. The Telegram account has more followers than the real Safaricom Telegram account, but this is likely due to the fact that the fake channel is promoting a scam.
HaqCheck has confirmed that the Safaricom Telegram channel does not belong to Safaricom. The company’s Telegram account is mentioned on the website and currently has more than 22 thousand followers. Likewise, HaqCheck confirmed that the TikTok account opened in the name of Amhara Bank doesn’t belong to the Bank.
Recommendations
HaqCheck recommends social media users be critical of the information they see on social media and verify it with other sources before sharing it. They should make sure that the information comes from a credible source.
Telegram users are advised to be aware of fake channels and to avoid interacting with them. Scammers may use fake Telegram channels to steal personal information, spread misinformation, or promote scams.
The government should make information available to the public and media in a timely and transparent manner. It should provide information that is accurate and up-to-date.
Social media content creators and outlets should be careful about the information they share and make sure that it is correct. They should be aware of the potential harm that can be caused by spreading false information.
