Fake WhatsApp message claims government is offering free phone recharge to users, do not fall for it

By Divyanshi SharmaWith the rise of digital banking, scammers are targeting innocent people and are trying to rob them of their hard-earned money. A wave of fraudulent messages, attempting to steal people’s money, had been reported earlier and customers of major banks like HDFC and SBI were affected. Such scams have been taking place for the last couple of months but have become more prevalent in the last few weeks. The scammers send out fraudulent messages that appear to be from the banks themselves, asking them to update their account details or PAN card information.

And now, a new fraudulent message is being circulated on WhatsApp that claims that the government of India is giving out free mobile recharge for Indian users.

Fake message on WhatsApp

As per reports, a WhatsApp message claiming that the Central Government is giving out a free phone recharge worth Rs 239 to all Indian users is being circulated on the messaging platform. The message says that the recharge will be valid for 28 days and intices users to click on a link. However, PIB Fact Check took to Twitter and announced that this message is absolutely fake and that the government has not announced any scheme like that.

The fake WhatsApp message, as reported by PIB’s official Twitter handle, reads, “Under Free Mobile Recharge Scheme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi all Indian users have been promised to give free recharge of Rs 239 for 28 days, so now recharge your number by clicking on the blue coloured link below. I have also done by 28 days free recharge and in this you can also get 28 days free recharge by clicking on the link given below.”

How to stay safe from fake messages

Even though it is easy to fall from scams being circulated through WhatsApp, especially when it comes from a close family member or friend, there are certain signs that can help you spot a fake message.

Firstly, pay attention to the language of the message. The language of such messages is usually not perfect and has major grammatical errors. This is perhaps the most obvious sign that the message has been written by a non-credible source, as official messages are usually top-notch in terms of language and sentence framing.

Also, any message asking you to click on a link must be looked at carefully. If the link in itself appears to be from a non-official source, refrain from clicking on it and tell others to do the same. A simple Google search at times might also help you to find out if a message being circulated is false or not.