ilotech.com.ng, the private website fronting as a Virtual Top-Up (VTU) service provider to sell National Identification Number (NIN) records of Nigerians, has been disabled.
FIJ obtained the NIN records of Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, and Orji Uzor Kalu, the senator representing Abia North, via the website on Tuesday.
By Wednesday morning, initial visits to the website showed an error message which read, “Your connection is not private.”
When FIJ clicked on the advanced icon to proceed, the website redirected the visitor to a page displaying another message:
“ilotech.com.ng This IP is being shared among many domains. To view the domain you are looking for, simply enter the domain name in the location bar of your web browser.”
READ MORE: On IloTech, a Website Fronting as VTU Platform, FIJ Got Keyamo, Kalu’s NIN Records for Only N360
In simple terms, the second message means the website is no longer properly linked to its hosting server. This usually happens when the hosting has expired, been deactivated or the domain settings have been changed.
Prior to this development, IloTech’s homepage was presented as a “registered telecommunication company that provides voice or data transmission services”.
However, further checks showed that it was just a cover for paid services like NIN verification, validation and modification, BVN verification and retrieval, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and birth attestation services, among others.
READ ALSO: NINCard Illegally Provided ID Services. NIMC Knew 13 Months Ago but Didn’t Shut It Down
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) did not list IloTech among its 98 Front-End Partners (FEPs) licensed to provide NIN enrolment services to the public.
Meanwhile, FIJ will continue to monitor the website’s activities because the message, “This IP is being shared among many domains”, could mean that the operators are lying low until the situation cools down.
The post Hours After FIJ’s Story, Illegal NIN Website IloTech Gets Deactivated appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.