The ClarityDeskDecember 19, 2025
Written by: Rufina Isaac
A claim being widely forwarded to groups and personal contacts on a WhatsApp group, purportedly promoting an Equity Bank Christmas gift, is false.
“Celebrate Christmas with Equity Bank and receive your exclusive present,” reads that link preview seen by The ClarityDesk in a WhatsApp group.
Debunking the Claim:
On clicking the URL, the result reads on the search engine as 404 Error, a standard web response indicating that the server was reached, but the specific page could not be found.
“The link is broken. Since the domain looks suspicious, treat it as potentially unsafe,” Mawut Martin, a cybersecurity professional, told The ClarityDesk.
While the photo attached to the claim is the official Logo of Equity Bank, the bank does not offer any Christmas gift as claimed, and the link attached is not the official website of Equity Bank. The message you received about a “Christmas Gift” from Equity Bank via the link is a scam.
“This is likely a phishing attempt designed to steal personal or banking information,” added Mawut.
A URL scan using VirusTotal flags the link as suspicious.
A search using Whois to check the domain information of the link shows that it was registered on 26 November 2025 and will expire on 26 November 2026 under the Domain Registrar: CHENGDU WEST DIMENSION DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Our Verdict:
The ClarityDesk finds the claim being widely forwarded on WhatsApp that Equity Bank is offering a Christmas gift to be false. The link, which is a newly registered domain, is flagged as suspicious by VirusTotal. Equity Bank shares active promotions via its official website, social media handles and other channels such as emails and newsletters.
Have you spotted an error in this article and would like to request a correction, or have you come across a claim that we should investigate? Please send us an email via editor@claritydesk.org or click here to WhatsApp us via +211 928 606 958.
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