Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, the entire lifestyle of people has changed. Outdoor activities have been replaced by indoor games, movie theatres overtaken by OTT apps and grocery shoppers in retail stores opted home delivery of items. For all this, reliance on internet has witnessed multifold spike and in that context, a viral WhatsApp forward has people fooled into thinking that the government is offering free internet access to 100 million users for three months.
There's a popular saying "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch" and it's true every single time. When you see something too good to be true, there are chances that it might not be. Here's the truth behind that viral forward you've been getting on WhatsApp lately.
The claim
A viral forwarded message is in circulation in many WhatsApp groups, claiming that the government is giving free internet access to 100 million Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone-Idea users till June 29. There's also a link in the message, which requires users to click on to get free internet access.
When the user clicks on the link, a website opens asking for personal details like name, contact number, carrier and more. The WhatsApp message has been forwarded many times and even shared on other social media platforms, which means there are many people who might have received this and likely clicked on the link.
Fact check
International Business Times reviewed the viral Whatsapp forward, promising to offer free internet access for three months. At first glance, it gets clear that the message with the link is a fraud. PIB Fact Check also flagged the viral message as fake and confirmed that no such announcement had been made by the government.
None of the official government sources, state or central, have posted anything about offering free internet access to 100 million users for three months. Moreover, the link provided in the message is an attempt to gather personal information of users, which could be used maliciously by criminal actors.
PIB also shared a brief video, warning users about clicking on the link, which would allow fraudsters to harm users.
धोखाधड़ी से सावधान!#WhatsApp मैसेज में दावा किया गया है कि भारत सरकार 3 महीने के लिए 100 मिलियन उपयोगकर्ताओं को मुफ्त इंटरनेट सुविधा प्रदान कर रही है।#PIBFactCheck: यह दावा व लिंक #फ़र्ज़ी है। भारत सरकार द्वारा ऐसी कोई घोषणा नहीं की गयी है। ऐसे फ़र्ज़ी वेबसाइट से सतर्क रहें। pic.twitter.com/08iUNUbEOM
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 1, 2021
Based on the evidence, IBTimes finds the viral Whatsapp forward fake and the claim about free internet access for three months to be a fraud.
