The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) has warned the public against fraudsters parading as Business Advisory Service staff.

According to the Board, some unscrupulous persons are duping unsuspecting business owners by collecting money from them under the guise of registering to access the government's ¢600 million stimulus package.

Deputy Director for the National Board for Small Scale Industries, Anna Armo-Himbson, told Roland Walker on the AM Show on Joy News that, the security agencies have been informed about the operations of the miscreants and will be swiftly prosecuted once arrested.

She explained that the application process for government’s Coronaravirus Alleviation Program (CAP) is free of charge.

According to the Board, applicants are not expected to pay any fee to anyone during the application process.

The caution comes on the back of reports that some applicants are being charged between ¢200 and ¢250 to access the one billion loan announced by the government to mitigate the plight of business owners whose operations have been affected by the pandemic.

Out of the ¢1.2 billion earmarked for this Programme, ¢600 million will be disbursed as soft loans to Micro Small Medium Scale Enterprises, with a one-year moratorium and a two-year repayment plan.