Fake Facebook pages impersonate ‘Nahid’s World’ to scam hilsa buyers

“Nahid’s World” is a digital platform that supplies fish to customers. Its Facebook page description states, “We never ask for advance payments. Any request for advance payment in our name is a scam.” However, a Dismislab investigation found that multiple fake pages have been created using the name, photos and videos of Nahid Hasan, the entrepreneur behind the platform. These pages run Facebook advertisements offering attractive deals, discounts and free home delivery. Many customers have already been scammed after trusting these pages and sending advance payments.

To determine the extent of the online hilsa-selling scam using the name and content of “Nahid’s World-নাহিদ’স ওয়ার্ল্ড,” the reporter searched Meta Ad Library using relevant keywords on October 8. The search found 70 advertisements posted by 18 pages. These ads used the “Nahid’s World” logo, photos of proprietor Nahid Hasan and/or videos published on the original page. A second review of the Ad Library on October 11 found that hilsa-selling advertisements from 15 of the 18 pages were still active. The remaining three pages could no longer be found.

These pages used the name, logo, photos and/or videos of “Nahid’s World” in their promotions. Using enticing phrases such as “mega offer,” “65% discount” and “free delivery,” the advertisements offered various packages of hilsa weighing between 5 and 10 kilograms at prices below the market rate. For example, the “টাটকা পদ্মার ইলিশ” (Fresh Padma Hilsa) page offered 5 kilograms of hilsa for Tk 1,500 and 10 kilograms for Tk 4,999.

The “ইলিশের বাড়ি চাঁদপুর” (Hilsa House Chandpur) page offered free hilsa roe with a three-kilogram hilsa purchase if the full payment was made in advance. Although the pages advertised free delivery, they demanded advance payments ranging from Tk350 to Tk650, citing “ice costs,” “box fees” and “shipping charges” as requirements to finalize orders.

Notably, Bangladesh’s 22-day ban to protect mother hilsa during the peak breeding season began at midnight on October 8. Until October 29, catching, transporting, storing, marketing, buying and selling hilsa and all other types of fish in the Bay of Bengal and rivers will remain prohibited.

Despite the ban, when Dismislab contacted representatives of 11 of the 15 pages advertising hilsa sales directly by mobile phone and WhatsApp, they claimed they could supply hilsa anywhere in the country. They demanded advance payment for the service.

When contacted through the phone numbers listed on the pages, the representatives identified themselves as Nahid’s representatives, employees or business associates. However, the original verified page explicitly states that “no advance payment is accepted.” When asked why separate pages were being created to demand advance payments using Nahid’s identity and content, and whether they had permission to use the videos, none of the page representatives could provide a satisfactory answer.

When Dismislab contacted the page named “ইলিশে ঘাট চাঁদপুর” (Hilsa Ghat Chandpur), one person initially claimed to be an employee of Nahid. Later, another person introduced himself as “Nahid” himself. When asked about the page’s authenticity, he used abusive language and hung up.

The “ইলিশের বাড়ি” (Hilsa House) page claimed to be a business partner of Nahid. When asked why it was using a new page instead of the original one, the representative said the page was being used to offer special deals. As proof, the representative also sent a photo of a trade license issued by the Chandpur Municipality office, which named Md Nahid Hossain as the proprietor.

To verify the document, Dismislab contacted the “Nahid’s World” hotline. They confirmed that the trade license was fake. It also said it had no branch or business operations in Chandpur.

The “চাঁদপুর ইলিশ ঘাট” (Chandpur Hilsa Ghat) page, whose representatives identified themselves as Nahid’s employees, said that at least three or four such pages were active. However, when asked for details about their use of videos from the original page, the representative hung up without answering.

When a representative of the “চাঁদপুর ফিশ ভ্যালি” (Chandpur Fish Valley) page was asked about using Nahid’s content without permission, he responded with a question: “So what should I do?”

People continue to fall for scams despite warnings

“Nahid’s World” regularly publicizes its efforts to identify fake pages and take legal action to prevent online content theft and protect customers. In a post on April 24, the platform said it had filed cases at police stations against 25 fake pages and was also taking action against agencies that helped promote advertisements for those pages.

Despite these warnings, many people have fallen victim to these fake pages. Some have shared their experiences of being scammed on Facebook.

In a Facebook post on June 17, New York-based Monjur Alam Badol said he had ordered fish worth Tk37,000 for his sister in Bangladesh ahead of Eid after seeing an advertisement on a Facebook page named “Chandpur Hilsa.” He paid the full amount in advance through bKash. However, after receiving the money, the page’s representative failed to deliver any fish to the specified address. When he later tried to contact them, those behind the page blocked his phone number. In his post, Monjur Alam shared screenshots of the page and its contact number.

On August 26, a man named Kawsar Islam Fahim posted on Facebook, notifying “Nahid’s World”’s official page that a relative of his had lost Tk4,000 through a page that was using Nahid’s name. Kawsar Islam said his relative had mistaken a fake page containing “Nahid’s World” photos and content for the genuine one, ordered hilsa and paid Tk4,000 in advance. After receiving the money, the fake page’s representatives deleted their earlier Messenger conversation and stopped responding.

In a post on September 8, the “Nahid’s World” page said that law enforcement operations had led to the arrest of around 30 to 40 people running fake pages, including three members of a group based in Narail.

Several news outlets have also reported scams involving the use of Nahid’s name and identity. A report published in the online edition of Star News on October 12 said customers had been defrauded of money through fake pages named “Nahid’s World” and “Chandpur Hilsa Ghat.”

Earlier, a report published in the online edition of Asia Post on September 21 said a group had been advertising hilsa for sale on Facebook under various names, including “Nahid World,” “Hilsa Bhaiya Chandpur” and “Hilsa House Chandpur,” and using the offers to defraud customers. Following an operation in Lohagara, Narail, the district’s Detective Branch (DB) arrested nine members of the group, including its alleged ringleader.

Dismislab spoke with Nahid Hasan, the founder of “Nahid’s World,” about scams using his name, photos and videos online. He said the company has only one official page, with 1.6 million followers. It does not sell fish through any other Facebook page. Although it has another page for a different product, that page is generally inactive outside the relevant season.

Addressing customer confusion, Nahid Hasan said, “We do not accept payments through any bKash or Nagad number other than our official number. In fact, our company has no policy of taking advance payments. Customers can speak with us over a video call or make transactions through our official bank account.”

Regarding fake-page representatives who claim to work for “Nahid’s World,” he said, “They make these false claims to gain customers’ trust. We have found that none of our current or former employees is involved in this fraud.”

He added that the company’s IT team was working regularly to prevent fraud. So far, the company has filed six or seven general diaries (GDs) at different police stations and two cases. Action by law enforcement has led to the detention of several scammers.

Asked about Meta’s role in addressing fake pages and advertisements on social media, Nahid Hasan said, “We regularly report these pages to Facebook, and hundreds of fake pages are being taken down. But as soon as one page is shut down, the scammers create another one. Even after we reported many advertisements to Meta, they did not remove them. We have screenshots documenting this.”