Ashleigh Plumptreand Super Falcons defender, has raised fresh concerns over the growing problem of impersonation on social media after fraudsters hijacked her name to promote false allegations about her alleged rejection from Nigeria’s 2017 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) squad.
The defender, who plays club football in Saudi Arabia, denied the rumors on Tuesday, calling the accounts behind the claims false and warning fans not to engage with them.
“Horrible fake accounts. I invited people to log into my Instagram and X. They are using my identity to scam people.
Plumptre said in an official statement on Tuesday that he is currently contacting someone in Saudi Arabia to help him remove these accounts, as it has been going on for more than a year.
False allegations posted on Facebook said the Super Falcons player was unhappy after being ‘left out’ of Nigeria’s squad for WAFCON 2026, which will be held in Morocco from July 25 to August 16.
However, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed the rumors as completely false, noting that the coaching staff is yet to submit an official squad list.
Ruth David, the NFF’s director of competitions, said the defender had repeatedly told the public that she did not have a Facebook account.
“This is completely false. Last year, Ashleigh Plumptre posted a video stating in no uncertain terms that she is not on Facebook, that some people are impersonating her, and that she has tried multiple times to remove the profile without success. Nothing has changed about her absence from Facebook; the player is not on Facebook and no one should believe anything coming from a cloned account.” Mrs. David stated.
She stated that the misinformation went beyond Plumptre.
“The other difficulty is that the coach did not submit the list of players for the Women’s AFCON, so the fraudster got it all wrong. The same fraudster was at work a few weeks ago, claiming that Esther Okoronkwo made the same claims, despite the fact that the player was not called up for Senegal’s friendlies due to injury.
“We recall that some time ago there was a report that Asisat Oshoala said she had retired from international football, which was patently false.”
The same scammer was at work a few weeks ago, claiming that Esther Okoronkwo made the same claims, despite the fact that the player was not called up for Senegal’s friendlies due to injury.
The association urged journalists, media outlets and members of the public to check the material before disseminating it.
“We encourage well-intentioned people to double-check any news they see before spreading it elsewhere. The prevalence of fake news has skyrocketed and it is critical that media owners and journalists consistently check what they publish for their own integrity and reputation,” said Mrs. David.
The controversy comes as Morocco prepares to host the 2026 African Women’s Cup of Nations.
Nigeria, the competition’s most successful team with ten trophies, will be looking to defend their continental crown in Morocco in a few weeks’ time.
Since her debut in 2022, Plumptre has established herself as a significant member of the Super Falcons team.
She was instrumental in Nigeria’s success at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, when they progressed to the round of 16 and received significant accolades for their achievements.
With the WAFCON competition coming up, the NFF has asked fans to rely exclusively on official channels for updates on player invitations and team activities.
