Nigerians locked out as Kled bans country over fraud concerns

Nigerian users have been blocked from accessing the data-sharing app Kled after the platform said an overwhelming majority of fraudulent activity on its system was traced to the country.

In a statement released Tuesday, the company confirmed it had removed the app from Nigerian app stores and imposed a full IP ban on the region. The decision, it said, followed internal findings that about 95% of fraudulent uploads originated from Nigerian users.

The startup, which pays users to upload digital assets such as images and datasets, said the scale and sophistication of abuse had become unsustainable.

“We have removed Kled from the Nigerian app store, and IP banned the entire region,” the company said, noting that while Nigerians were among its earliest adopters, the level of fraudulent activity had escalated beyond control.

According to the platform, users in Nigeria frequently uploaded unusable content, including blank images, duplicates, internet-sourced files, and AI-generated materials. These activities, it said, significantly undermined the integrity of its data marketplace.

The company also revealed that its identity verification system had recently been flooded with falsified documents, including fake Japanese passports that had been digitally altered. That incident, it added, marked a tipping point.

“As a startup, we can’t afford the cost of managing that level of data abuse,” the statement said.

In contrast, the company noted that countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines recorded less than 10% fraud rates despite having significantly larger user bases.

While describing the move as temporary, the firm said it would only consider returning to Nigeria after strengthening its fraud detection and moderation systems.

The development raises fresh concerns about Nigeria’s reputation in global digital ecosystems, especially as more platforms tighten compliance and risk controls.

For now, thousands of Nigerian users who relied on the platform for income remain locked out, with no clear timeline for reinstatement.

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