Claim: Saudi Crown Prince is offering free Hajj sponsorship to 750,000 people
Source: WhatsApp message
Verdict: Hoax
Researched by Nusrat Essah
A WhatsApp message with an accompanying link suggests that Muslims who cannot afford Hajj (the annual religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia) can apply for the “Mohammed Bin Salman Free Hajj Sponsorship 2025.”
Mohammed Bin Salman is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister of the oil rich gulf country that hosts the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The message encourages interested individuals to click the link and complete the application form to benefit from the free scheme.
This fact-check seeks to verify the authenticity of the claim.
Fact-Check
Checks by GhanaFact show that there has been no announcement from either the Pilgrims Affairs Office (Ghana Hajj Board) or the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah about any programme called ‘Mohammed Bin Salman Hajj Sponsorship 2025.’
Official Hajj arrangements are handled only through authorised national Hajj agencies and government channels, not through random WhatsApp links.
The 2025 Hajj has also already taken place. It started on June 4, 2025 and concluded on June 9, 2025. The next Hajj will be undertaken in 2026, which corresponds to the Islamic year 1447 Hijri.
GhanaFact also found that this same post circulated in March this year on Facebook and was debunked in reports by Africa Check, Pesa Check and FactCheck Africa.
Technical analysis of sponsorship link
GhanaFact conducted a step-by-step analysis of the link attached to the message.
- When the link is clicked, it leads to a webpage displaying an image of Muslim pilgrims around the Ka’bah, accompanied by text that reads: “Mohammed Bin Salman Hajj Sponsorship 2025.”
Beneath the image is a form requesting personal details, including name, phone number and location.
2. Once an applicant submits the initial form, they are directed to a page where they are required to provide passport details. Those without passports are given the option of support to process their passports. It also shows reviews from supposed successful applicants.
3. Users are then required to enter more personal information, such as age range and marital status.
4. After submitting all requested details, users are congratulated and urged to select a box to receive gifts.
5. Users are further requested to “share maximum to receive a package.”
The above format is consistent with online scams designed to spread rapidly through social media to collect personal data.
To verify the link’s authenticity, GhanaFact ran it through a security scan on VirusTotal.com, a platform used to detect malicious and phishing websites.
The scan identified the link as malicious and classified it under phishing activity, confirming that the site poses security risks and is likely designed to harvest personal information.
Using WHOIS information to investigate the domain name – trny.ke – we found that the website was registered on March 21, 2024, updated on March 12, 2025 and set to expire on March 21, 2026.
The domain owner used the services of Truehost Cloud Limited to hide their original information.
Verdict
Therefore, the WhatsApp message and link claiming a free hajj sponsorship is a hoax
Source: GhanaFact|Ghana