West Ham United vice-chairman, Karren Brady, has slammed Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo for calling himself a unique player, insisting that Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi or late Brazilian legend Pele would never say anything of that sort.
Ronaldo, 37, completed a free transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr a few weeks ago on a deal that will see him earn £175 million yearly.
The Portugal captain left Manchester United last November after his contract with the Premier League giants was terminated by mutual consent.
Following his move to Al-Nassr, Ronaldo made a fairly immodest claim in his first press conference at the club.
The former Real Madrid stated that his lucrative Al-Nassr contract is unique because he is a ‘unique player.’
However, his statement did not sit well with Brady as she wrote in her column for The Sun: “Maybe there’s a lot to like about Ronaldo. He’s athletic and an unstoppable goalscorer. But this recent comment reeks of conceit: ‘I’m happy, proud to join Al Nassr . . . This contract is unique because I am a unique player. It’s normal for me.”
“For a start, he is not a unique player. He does most things well and some brilliantly but nothing others can’t or have not. Neither Messi nor Pele would say anything like this. And nudging at Ronaldo all the time is his obsession with Messi, whose career at Barcelona was at least the equal of his at Real Madrid.”
This article provides a list of the most infamous bogus loan applications to avoid using in Nigeria in 2023, as well as solid indicators that may be used to independently detect them in the future.
In the past few years, there has been a big rise in both the number of online lending companies and the number of scammers who use fake loan apps to take advantage of Nigerians’ need for money.
These fake loan apps offer large amounts of money with low interest rates. They do this by using their victims’ needs and the anonymity of the Internet against them.
In addition to making a long list of fake loan apps in Nigeria, this post gives borrowers a set of signs that can help them tell the difference between a real loan app and a fake one.
Based on being taken off the Play Store, getting in trouble with the FCCPC, using aggressive collection methods, and doing other illegal things, the most well-known fake loan apps in Nigeria are:
ChaCha
Easy Moni
EasyCredit
GoCash
Here4U
Kashkash
Maxi Credit
Okash
SoftPay
Sokoloan
Speedy Choice
You are need to have a physical address listed in the app from which you intend to borrow. You are not permitted to use the loan application if you are unable to locate a real physical address for your lender. Swindlers who commit loan fraud typically conceal their identities in order to avoid legal repercussions.
A real lender does business from a location that is registered. Because of this, the name of your lender, their phone number, their physical address, and their email address should all be posted on their website.
Do some research on the company that owns the loan application. A reputable financial institution will have a website that can be accessed using their mobile application. You should not move further with the loan application that you are considering using if it does not have its own website.
Inaccessible from the Google Play store
Despite the fact that the Google Play Store is rife with bogus loan applications, the vast majority of fraudulent loan apps can only be purchased through unofficial sites.
Because of the growing number of fake loan apps on its platform, which enables 81% of mobile users in Nigeria to access their accounts, Google has been forced to tighten its filters in order to prevent any further instances of fraud. Additionally, at the request of the FCCPC, Google has removed several fraudulent applications from its store.
One of these applications, known as Sokoloan, was taken down from the Play Store after Google got instructions to do so from the regulatory body. According to Nairametrics, the FCCPC has reportedly demanded the removal of Maxi Credit, Here4U, ChaCha, and SoftPay from the Play Store due to unethical behavior on the part of the companies.
Nigerians who are looking for loans without BVN are the most likely to become victims of phony loan apps that are unavailable on the Google Play Store. This has become a selling feature of illicit credit platforms and is one of the reasons why people are drawn to them.
Check the internet for ratings and reviews of your lending institution.
A common practice among previous borrowers of the loan app is to publish product or service reviews on the Google Play Store or other review websites. Paying attention to the evaluations that customers provide might give you insight into the kind of loans that your lender offers. Consider the ratings that each app has received in the Google Play Store as well.
Before choosing to work with a particular lender, it is a smart move to go online and research the company’s ratings as well as customer feedback. You can get an idea of how the lender operates by reading reviews posted on reputable websites. In addition to this, you will be aware of any unethical action on the part of the lender that has been reported by past borrowers.
Unfair and abusive methods of collection
Because of the aggressive collecting methods they employ, fake loan apps have become a significant problem in Nigeria. The way they conduct business is to offer a loan in exchange for access to an individual’s personal information and data stored on their mobile device, such as their contact list, as well as their credit score and financial position.
Once the loan is granted, it is often for a fraction of what was initially requested. Within a few days of the loan being approved, representatives of the fake loan app demand payment of the money with criminal interest rates via text messages and phone calls. This quickly escalates into an operation of harassment and threats against the borrower and his or her family.
In other instances, the representatives of these applications send photomontage messages to the connections of people who have sought loans, accusing those people of committing crimes, being paedophiles, or engaging in prostitution; they even send threats with photos of severed corpses. These messages are sent to the connections of the people who have sought loans.
All of these actions, which are considered to be criminal offenses under Nigerian law, including fraud, defamation, and extortion, are symptoms of a fraudulent loan application.
This was the situation with the fake loan apps GoCash, Okash, EasyCredit, Kashkash, Speedy Choice, and Easy Moni, which were raided by the FCCPC in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency, and the Nigerian Police Force for violating the privacy of their customers while attempting to collect debts from them.
Check to see how much access to your personal information the lender is requesting.
Some lending apps have the ability to request authorization for contact information and gallery access in order to perform authenticity checks and underwriting. It should come as no surprise that reputable lenders would treat such information as secret and refrain from sharing it with any outside parties.
However, because of advancements in technology within the fintech sector, lenders are now competent enough to perform underwriting using their own vetted collection processes, which eliminates the requirement that they have access to your gallery and contacts. Any fraudulent conduct is effectively brought to a halt when a lender possesses such capabilities.
In addition, competent online lenders conduct information security audits and routinely monitor the performance of AI systems to ensure the safety of their customers’ data. Before you send over any of your personal information to the lender, you are required to perform your due diligence on the company.
Does loan apps have a website, and if so, how secure is it?
On the pages of your lender’s website where you are required to submit your personal information, you should look for an emblem that looks like a lock. Websites that begin their URLs with https:// are considered to be secure because they take precautions to prevent personal information from being obtained by identity thieves.
If your lender is credible, it will safeguard your information against fraudulent loan offers and make sure it is encrypted and inaccessible to third parties.
In addition, if your lender does not provide clear information about important aspects of the loan, such as the interest rate, then the application for the loan is most likely a fraud.
More Ways to Spot Fake Loan Apps in Nigeria
Here are some tips for spotting fake loan apps in Nigeria:
Check the app’s reviews: Look for reviews from users who have actually used the app and received a loan. If the app has mostly positive reviews, it’s more likely to be legitimate.
Research the company: Look for information about the company that operates the app, including its website and social media presence. If you can’t find any information about the company online, or if the information you find seems suspicious, it could be a red flag.
Look for red flags: Be wary of loan apps that require you to pay a fee upfront or that promise guaranteed approval. These are common tactics used by scammers.
Be cautious of unsolicited offers: If you receive an unsolicited offer for a loan, be extra cautious. It’s possible that the offer is legitimate, but it’s also possible that it’s a scam.
Use a secure device: If you do decide to apply for a loan through a mobile app, make sure you’re using a secure device. Scammers may try to steal your personal information if you use a device that is not secure.
If you’re unsure about the legitimacy of a loan app, it’s always a good idea to do your research and be cautious before providing any personal or financial information. If you have concerns about a particular loan app, you can report it to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Central Bank of Nigeria has extended the deadline for the swapping of old naira notes with the redesigned ones till February 10, 2023.
The CBN stated this in a release on Sunday.
The apex bank said it added “a 10-day extension of the deadline from January 31, 2023, to February 10, 2023, to allow for the collection of more old notes.”
This is according to the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele.
He also noted that Nigerians would still be able to deposit their old notes directly with the CBN until February 17, 2023, described as “grace period.”
There has been pressure from many Nigerians and groups concerning the initial January 31 deadline for the validity the old notes, as the scarcity of the newly designed 200, 500, and 1000 naira notes prevailed in the country.
Extending the deadline, Emefiele said, “Based on the foregoing, we have sought and obtained Mr President’s approval for the following: a 10-day extension of the deadline from January 31, 2023, to February 10, 2023; to allow for collection of more old noteslegitimately held by Nigerians and achieve more success in cash swap in our rural communities after which all old notes outside the CBN loses their Legal Tender Status.
A seven-day grace period, beginning from February 10 to February 17, 2023, in compliance with Sections 20(3) and 22 of the CBN Act, allowing Nigerians to deposit their old notes at the CBN after the February deadline when the old currency would have lost its Legal Tender status.”
Emefiele also sought the cooperation of all Nigerians in the implementation of the policy.
The CBN, before bowing to pressure today, had yesterday (Saturday) insisted that the January 31 deadline for the validity of the old 200, 500 and 1,000 naira notes remained unchanged.
The apex bank, via its verified Twitter page, insisted on Saturday evening that the January 31, 2023 deadline remained.
Reposting a video of the CBN Governor, Emefiele, from a concluded Monetary Policy Committee meeting, the apex bank said, “Deadline for the return of old series of 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes remains January 31 2023.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have good news for those who feel we should shift the deadline, my apologies.
The saying goes that the house always wins and for the most part, it does.
But every now and again, a gambler comes along with so much skill, bravery, or money that they can turn the odds on their heads and make millions of dollars in the process.
Lots of people like the occasional flutter but there are a few individuals who have made beating the bookies their life’s work.
Read on to discover how they became the richest gamblers in the world and what they won in the process.
1. Kerry Packer – $5 Billion
Image: The Australian Media Hall of Fame
Kerry Packer might have become Australia’s richest man through his family’s business empire, but it’s gambling that he will always be remembered for. This is because Packer always played big.
Part of playing this way is losing huge sums of money and Packer was known to go on some astonishingly bad streaks during his gambling career.
The most famous of these was over a 10-month period from September 1999 to July 2000 when he lost around $40 million playing in both Crockford’s casino, London and the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Fortunately for Packer, he also had the occasional hot streak. Perhaps his greatest gambling achievement came in May 1995 when he won $20 million in only 40 minutesby playing several games of $250,000 stake blackjack at once.
2. Tony Bloom – $1.5 Billion
Image: wearebrighton.com
Like a lot of people who have made their money in the gambling world, Tony Bloom is a bit of a mystery.
What we do know is that he studied mathematics at The University of Manchester and started out playing poker for fun.
Over the years this hobby has won him around $2.5 million and has seen him play in some huge tournaments including the World Poker Tour and Poker Million IX where he finished second.
It was also at the poker table that Bloom earned himself the nickname “The Lizard” for his cold-blooded style of play.
Most of Bloom’s fortune has not come from poker though. Instead, he has made millions by setting up his own betting consultancy firm, Starlizard.
Many reports say that Starlizard is one of the top betting firms in the world and that it wagers millions of dollars on soccer leagues across the globe.
3. Bill Benter – $1 Billion
Image: Twitter/CDCHistory
Another math whizz who has used his intelligence to earn a fortune by gambling is Bill Benter.
Like a lot of young gamblers, Benter started his career counting cards in Las Vegas before turning his attention to horse racing in Hong Kong.
In partnership with another gambler, Alan Woods, Benter began building an algorithm that could predict a horse’s chance of winning with incredible accuracy.
After a few difficult years and some tweaking, his model eventually began to earn him tens of millions of dollars per year.
Benter’s most famous win came when his model correctly predicted the Triple Trio, a famous bet in Hong Kong where you must predict the first three horses to cross the line in three separate races.
Today, Benter is now a billionaire and spends his time giving lectures at universities and donating to charitable causes around the world.
4. Edward Thorp – $800 Million
Image: Twitter/EdwardOThorp
Coming in one place behind Bill Benter is the man who inspired him to gamble in the first place, Edward Thorp – the man who invented card counting.
Using his mathematical and technological genius, Thorp created a way of overturning the house advantage when playing blackjack.
During his first weekend trying the technique he won $11,000 and after seeing that it was effective, he decided to publish a book explaining his techniques.
Published in 1962, “Beat the Dealer” was an incredible success with over 1 million copies being sold.
Thorp followed his book by inventing the first wearable computer. This piece of technology gave him increased chances of winning roulette.
Taking his gambling skills to the stock market saw Thorp’s wealth balloon and he has been an extremely wealthy man ever since.
5. Alan Woods – $500 Million
Image: Bloomberg
Alan Woods was a former partner of Bill Benter and made his money in a similar way.
They both started out counting cards, and even worked on the same team at one point.
Then, after being blacklisted from the Las Vegas casinos they turned their attention to the Hong Kong horse races.
After falling out, Woods made his own model every bit as successful as Benter’s.
However, he was forced to flee to the Philippines once his betting syndicate started being investigated by law enforcement.
Still betting from his private property, Woods amassed a huge fortune of around half a billion dollars and worked in close partnership with former rival Zeljko Ranogajec.
6. Zeljko Ranogajec – $420 Million
Image: Twitter/WillyJAllison
Known as “The Joker”, Zeljko Ranogajec is another incredibly rich person who has made money for himself by being a so-called advantage gambler.
After transforming a few hundred dollars into millions at the blackjack table, Ranogajec worked with Alan Woods before setting up his own betting syndicate known as the Bankroll.
Mainly focusing on horse racing, Ranogajec’s syndicate is said to place bets worthover $3 billion per year.
Even if many of these don’t win, Ranogajec still makes money thanks to bookmakers giving him discounts and rebates on his incredibly large bets.
While Ranogajec likes to keep himself to himself, the fortune he has built cannot be so easily hidden. He reportedly owns an apartment at One Hyde Park, the world’s most expensive apartment building.
Even more amazingly, bets placed by his syndicate apparently make up one third of Betfair Australia’s total operations.
7. Billy Walters – $200 Million
Image: Twitter/business
Billy Walters is perhaps one of the most successful sports bettors in history. Walters himself has gone on record saying he has only had one losing season in the 39 years he gambled on sports.
Like many others on this list, Walters used analysis to produce more accurate odds than the bookies, allowing him to win between 56-60% of all bets he placed.
According to ESPN, Walters found most of his success at collegiate level sports where the bookies invested less time and resources in calculating their odds.
Apparently, Walters used to bet huge amounts of money on these small teams with one employee recalling a $250,000 wager he placed on NCAA Division I basketball team, Old Dominion.
Unfortunately for Walters his lucky streak came to an end when he was found guilty of insider trading on the stock market.
He was sentenced to five years in prison, only serving four thanks to pardon by former President Donald Trump.
8. Dan Bilzerian – $200 Million
Image: Twitter/DanBilzerian
While most gamblers on this list have made their money through sports betting, Dan Bilzerian tends to prefer the poker table.
Most people will have heard of Bilzerianthanks to his antics on social media where he flaunts a lavish lifestyle, which he says he earned through poker.
What’s interesting is that Bilzerian hardly ever plays public games. In fact, one of his only recorded results was 180th in the 2009 World Series Poker Event.
Bilzerian maintains that he now only plays poker in underground, private games. And, if you believe him, Bilzerian can earn up to $50 million in one night.
Of course, there is no way of proving this, but some professional gamblers think it is a possibility, given that Bilzerian has a reputation for only playing against super rich people he feels sure of beating.
9. David Walsh – $200 Million
Image: Twitter/australian
David Walsh first became involved in gambling when he counted cards during his time at the University of Tasmania.
Here he met fellow student Zeljko Ranogajec and the two of them soon decided to try their hand at playing blackjack in Las Vegas.
When Walsh moved back to Tasmania, he began building his own software to predict the outcome of horse races. This would end up being a key piece of technology for Ranogajec’s syndicate the Bankroll.
According to Ranogajec, during these early days Walsh would be the one to do all the mathematical calculations for the syndicate because of his intellectual gifts.
Walsh matched this intelligence with bravery and once bought$11 million worth of lottery tickets to win a $60 million jackpot.
Today, Walsh dedicates most of his time to an underground art museum that he has built in Tasmania.
The rumored price tag? Over $200 million.
10. Phil Ivey – $100 million
Image: World Poker Tour/Flickr
Unlike Dan Bilzerian, there can be no doubting Phil Ivey’s poker playing ability.
A lot of people see him as one of the best players in the world and he has the trophies to prove it, including a World Poker Title and 10 World Series of Poker bracelets.
These victories have come with millions of dollars in prize money, but Ivey has also made huge sums by playing poker against billionaires like banker Andy Beal.
According to some stories, Ivey is supposed to have beaten Beal out of $16.6 million in one single game.
Bitcoin started the weekend hovering near $23,000, as markets continued to react to personal consumption data in the United States. Figures released on Friday reported that spending fell by 0.2% last month, despite overall consumer sentiment moving higher. Ethereum remained close to $1,600 to start the day.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin (BTC) remained close to the $23,000 level on Saturday, as markets continued to react to Friday’s U.S. personal consumption data.
Following a high of $23,417.72 late on Friday, BTC/USD fell to an intraday low of $22,880.60 earlier in the day.
This came as bitcoin was once again unable to break out of a key resistance level at $23,500, leading to a resurgence of bearish sentiment.
Simply put, “side hustle” is an evolved term for “making extra money” outside a salaried day job or part-time job. For many, it has become a new way of life.
With an online side hustle, you do not have to commute or, for that matter, leave your home at all. Depending on the side hustle of your choice, you just need a working device and a reliable internet connection. This enables you to have complete control of your time and schedule.
Why an online side hustle?
Here are Entrepreneur’s top four reasons to start an online side hustle ASAP.
Provide yourself with multiple sources of income. Even if your day job provides enough money for your overhead expenses, having a side hustle gives you another income source, which can ultimately be empowering. In truth, you can never have enough money, especially if the extra money is a few hundred dollars per month, and you can do it all online.
Pay off debt.According to CNBC, the average American has about $90,000 in debt. One of the top reasons that people seek out a side hustle is to pay off debt. With one source of income, paying off debt may be very difficult, especially if you have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay for. You can make tremendous headway in cutting down your debt with extra monthly money.
Build wealth. If you have no debt to pay off, or you have finished paying off your debt with your side hustle and now have expendable money, you can put your money to work for you and build wealth. This can mean building an emergency fund, boosting your savings account, or expanding your financial portfolio. With a side hustle, you can reach your financial goals much quicker if you stay disciplined.
Give yourself a creative outlet. Let’s be honest. Regular day jobs are tedious and can be mundane. Finding a side hustle that lets you bring out your creative side while connecting with your passions and making money from it is an overall win. Some people even create a full-time career from their side hustles, driven by their love for what they do.
Having an online side gig has many benefits to it; below are eight online side hustle ideas that we believe to be the best right now in 2023.
1. Take online surveys
One of the most popular and accessible side hustles to invest your time into is taking online surveys on sites like Survey Junkie. You can choose when to take a survey and how long you want to spend doing it. Most surveys will describe the type of survey and approximately how long it will take to complete.
It is not the highest-paying online side hustle, but there is money to be made from it. You can earn anywhere from $1 to $20 per survey. Popular online survey websites that you can check out to start taking online surveys would be SurveyMonkey and Swagbucks.
2. Start a blog
Starting a blog can be a creative outlet for many writers before a money maker. It is something writers of all experience levels can learn and love to do. Most blogs do not make a lot of money when they are being built, but with consistency and dedication, as you put out a new blog every day, your audience will grow, and so will the cash flow that comes with it.
Bloggers have the potential to make thousands of dollars per month. Blogs can be a passive income opportunity by adding affiliate marketing and advertisements. With an attractive website and valuable content, your blog can gain a lot of traffic, recognition, and extra income (especially if you create an online business for merchendise, following in the footsteps of prominent influencers).
You can create your website on various platforms, including Wix and Squarespace, turning your spare time into a lucrative side hustle.
3. Social media manager
With the rise of social media platforms and the growing industry of interactive technologies, social media managers are very much in demand. The job of a social media manager entails connecting a target audience with an organization.
Businesses hire social media managers to expand their online presence and brand awareness, increase sales and revenue, and attract business opportunities. Primarily, social media managers create content with heavy marketing strategies to attract potential customers and clients.
This profession can be handled strictly online as a full-time job or side hustle, depending on the social needs of a business.
4. Proofreading
Proofreading is one of the strongest and most popular side hustles in 2022. This job is perfect for those who love freelance writing with solid grammar and language skills. Proofreading is a bit lighter than editing.
Editing is usually performed before proofreading, as editors focus on other text elements. When proofreading, you are explicitly looking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
Yes, many websites can fulfill this duty on a surface level. Still, with the rise of businesses wanting to expand their online presence, including website launches, blogs, and social media, companies look for freelance writers and proofreaders to ensure quality content.
Sites like Upwork and Fiverr, where you find excellent side hustle opportunities for freelance writing, are also great places to look for good money in proofreading.
The best way to think about proofreading is to get a second pair of eyes on a piece of content.
5. Virtual assistant
The job of an online virtual assistant can vary from administrative work to bookkeeping. Everyday tasks a virtual assistant can do include scheduling appointments, making phone calls, responding to emails, coordinating travel arrangements, data entry, and more.
If you have good communication skills, customer service experience, and extra time to help new or busy business owners, this can be an easy way to make extra money from home.
6. Create an online course
Do you have an area of expertise, so much so that you can teach others about it? Creating an online course can give you extra money and even passive income.
Online learning platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, and Teachable have transformed the educational world by teaching every skill you can think of, with the potential for certification at the end. These platforms provide opportunities to promote your courses and give a sense of security to their customers.
If you choose not to put your courses on a platform and want to sell them yourself, social media has opened up many doors for you to sell your courses to your followers. This enables you to make passive income: you must create the course and sell it digitally multiple times.
7. Online tutoring and teaching English
The pandemic made it easy for educators to make a lot of money tutoring and teaching English online. Students were not in a classroom, so many needed extra help and were able to receive it virtually from licensed professionals.
Another perk to this side hustle is that teaching English online can be open to individuals all over the globe in different time zones, enabling online tutors to make money at all hours of the day.
Online tutoring may be a good option if you have a niche besides teaching English and can help others practice it.
8. Start an ecommerce store
The industry of ecommerce has been on the rise. Ecommerce stores have many perks like drop shipping, easy-to-use interfaces, digital payment acceptions, no retail storefronts, and 24/7 product availability.
Many platforms, like Shopify and Amazon, provide an online storefront for your ecommerce store and educate you on how to open your online store, manage transactions, build your brand, and more.
Additionally, for more niche markets, you could try Etsy and eBay or even start your ecommerce store with site hosting services like WordPress.
The bottom line
Starting an online side hustle has never been easier. Choose a niche you are comfortable with or want to learn more about to expand your horizons and pockets. Carving out a side job and income with your skillset can be especially rewarding, especially if it is doing something you love from the convenience of your home.
