Zenith Bank Dissociates Chairman from ‘Fraudulent’ AI Investment Scheme
Zenith Bank Plc has dissociated its Group Chairman, Jim Ovia, from a purported investment platform known as “Wealth Bridge,” describing circulating promotional videos linking him to the scheme as fraudulent and misleading.
In a strongly worded disclaimer statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the bank’s management, Zenith Bank advised members of the public to disregard the videos and related promotional materials, which it said falsely portray its chairman as endorsing the investment initiative.
According to the bank, the doctored video and still images have been circulating on social media via a Facebook handle identified as “Greece Island,” allegedly soliciting investments from unsuspecting members of the public.
The bank stated that the video promises prospective investors returns of up to N2 million weekly on an initial contribution of N380,000 — claims it described as false and entirely unconnected to the bank or its chairman.
“Our attention has been drawn to a doctored video and still pictures currently circulating on social media, purporting to depict the Group Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc (‘the Bank’) as endorsing an investment scheme called ‘Wealth Bridge’ on the ‘Greece Island’ Facebook handle and soliciting members of the public to engage in a business relationship with the so-called entity,” the statement read.
“This claim is entirely false and has no connection whatsoever to the Group Chairman, the Bank or any of its affiliate companies.”
Zenith Bank further clarified that the video falsely claims the endorsement and approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stressing that such assertions are untrue.
It added that the fraudulent content redirects viewers to a webpage allegedly affiliated with Arise News, featuring details of the scheme and an embedded registration portal for sign-ups.
“The video goes on to allege that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approves/endorses this said project. The video redirects unsuspecting members of the public to an alleged ‘Arise News’ webpage with details of this ‘scheme’ and an embedded registration portal for signups. This claim also is entirely false and has no connection whatsoever to the Bank or its Group Chairman,” the statement added.
The bank emphasised that neither its chairman nor the institution has any knowledge of the so-called investment scheme, nor has it entered into any partnership with the companies, individuals, or platforms behind it.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all the videos and promotional materials referenced above are FAKE and have nothing to do with Zenith Bank Plc or Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR,” the management stated.
Zenith Bank warned that any individual who engages with the “Greece Island” handle, “Wealth Bridge,” “delicious sitee,” “AfriQuantumX,” “Stock market analyst 1,” or any related entity on the basis of the fraudulent materials does so at their own risk.
The bank urged the general public to remain vigilant and verify investment opportunities through official channels before committing funds, reiterating its commitment to protecting customers and maintaining the integrity of the financial system.
