College Relief Fund (collegerelieffund.com), or CRF, presents itself as a scholaship platform dedicated to supporting African youths in their pursuit of higher education. They claim to have raised $245,000 in 2019 to provide scholarships for deserving students across African higher institutions. This sounds like a noble cause, but there are some concerning details to consider.
Is College Relief Fund Legit or a Scam?
There are a lot of red flags that suggests that collegerelieffund.com is a scam and we have highlighted them below.
- Inconsistent Inception Date: While College Relief Fund claims to have been established in 2018, a WHOIS search of the domain and social media handles suggests that they were created in 2020. This inconsistency in dates is a cause for concern.
- Facebook Page Renaming: The renaming of their Facebook page from “The True Love” to “College Relief Fund” in 2020 is unusual for a nonprofit organization. Legitimate organizations typically maintain consistent branding and create new pages if necessary.
- Lack of Registration: A search with the Corporate Affairs Commission yielded no results for College Relief Fund. This suggests that they are not registered as a nonprofit or any other legitimate entity.
- Questionable Donor Affiliation: Donors listed on the College Relief Fund website have no apparent affiliation with the organization. This lack of verification raises doubts about the legitimacy of their fundraising claims.
- No Affiliation Confirmation: Africa Capital Digest, when contacted, stated that they were not affiliated with College Relief Fund and that their logo was being used illegally.