National IT Skillsets Expansion Program - Reality or Fake?
Investigative Blog
In today's era, acquiring digital skills is of utmost importance for young people. If an institution offers you courses in e-commerce, digital marketing, cybersecurity, or graphic designing for just Rs. 450 per month, what would you do? Surely, you would be eager to enroll immediately.
National IT Skillsets Expansion Program - nitsep.pk
Recently, I received a WhatsApp message with a link to various digital and IT courses offered by an organization named "National IT Skillsets Expansion Program (nitsep.pk)." I quickly clicked the link and started filling out the online admission form. The website appeared quite impressive and official. It featured the logo of the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication and gave the impression that it was a government project aimed at training 25,000 students from across the country.
Admission Process
The admission form required basic information, including the front and back images of the national identity card and a scanned copy of the last degree. After filling out the form, I received an email confirming my admission and informing me that the course fee is Rs. 450 per month, which must be paid advance annually in a lump sum.
Initially, I was overjoyed to have been selected as one of the lucky 25,000 students who would receive excellent IT training over the next year. However, a question arose in my mind: if today is a public holiday,( I filled the form during Eid Holidays) how did the institution's team review my application in just one hour? Ignoring this thought, I continued reading the email, which stated, "Congratulations! You have been admitted. This course is supported by the Government of Pakistan, and you need to pay a nominal fee of Rs. 450 per month, amounting to approximately Rs. 5,400 annually. Only then will you be eligible for the course and the Prime Minister's Laptop Scheme."
Doubts and Investigation
At this point, I started questioning the legitimacy of the program. If this is a government program, why are students being asked to pay a lump sum fee instead of monthly installments? The email provided a login link again with a deadline for fee payment along with a Habib Bank account number for online transfer or challan submission. Again here NITSEP clearly stated that this was a government program, entitling students to laptops and job opportunities upon completion.
These attractive offers were enough to lure many unemployed youths in Pakistan. However, I decided not to pay the fee immediately and to investigate further. The next day, I called the landline number provided on the website to request a monthly payment plan, but no one answered despite multiple attempts. The following day, a female attendant finally answered the call. Here is how our conversation went:
Me: "Hello, I am interested in the NITSEP program, but I was wondering if it's possible to pay the fee on a monthly basis instead of a lump sum?"
Female Attendant: "No, the fee must be paid annually in a lump sum."
Me: "Can you tell me if this program is really affiliated with the Ministry of IT?"
Female Attendant: "No, we are affiliated with the Pakistan Engineering Council."( This was surprised because they didn't mentioned it on the web and the logo and name of MoIT&T was still there )
Me: "What does the Pakistan Engineering Council have to do with digital marketing and graphic designing courses?"
Female Attendant: (hesitating) "Uh, we have recently shifted our affiliation."
Me: "But why does your website still feature the Ministry of IT logo?"
Female Attendant: "We have removed it now because many were bothering them by calling. We are currently associated with the Pakistan Engineering Council."
Me: "Who is the head of your organization?"
Female Attendant: "It is led by a retired Brigadier." (It was clear she was lying and trying to impress by using a military title.)
Denial from the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication
Subsequently, I contacted the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication to verify the authenticity of NITSEP. A spokesperson confirmed after a day that the website had no affiliation with the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication and that no such program was being run by the Ministry at this stage. When asked if any action was being taken against this website, the spokesperson stated that further actions are being taken.
Further Research
Until confirmation from the Ministry, I continued my investigation and discovered that thousands of youths had already been scammed by this fraudulent program. A female victim uploaded a YouTube video stating that she had uploaded fake credentials on the admission form, which were even accepted, and her admission was confirmed. Numerous people commented on her video, sharing their experiences of being scammed as well.
On TrustPilot, 80% of the reviews were negative. One user wrote, "They claim to be a government program, but they are not. Their aim is to collect money and steal important information." Another user mentioned that they paid the fee, provided proof of payment, but NITSEP insisted that the fee had not been received.
Conclusion
After thorough investigation, I concluded that NITSEP is a complete fraud, exploiting thousands of unemployed youths in the name of IT courses and falsely claiming government affiliation.
Key Points
- The Ministry of IT has declared that they have no association with the NITSEP website or program and are taking further action..
- The logos of the Ministry of IT on the website are fake, and the laptop scheme is also fraudulent.
- Each time a course admission deadline is reached, it is extended.
- TrustPilot reviews are mostly negative, with suspicions that any positive reviews are self-written.
- The creators of this fake program are highly skilled in IT and are successfully portraying themselves as a government-affiliated entity.
Instead of monthly payments, an annual lump sum fee is demanded, which contradicts the program's claimed spirit.
These points are sufficient to prove the fraudulent nature of this program. Citizens should avoid falling into this trap, and the Government of Pakistan, particularly the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, should take legal action against this fraudulent company and ensure that victims are reimbursed.
Tags: #NITSEP #ITSkills #Fraud #PakistanITMinistry #DigitalMarketing #Ecommerce #CyberSecurity #GraphicDesigning #YouthTraining #FakeProgram