The fact-checking wing of the Public Information Bureau (PIB), the centre's nodal agency, has issued a clarification related to a message claiming that the central government is offering a free mobile recharge of ₹239, which is valid for 28 days, to all users. As per the bureau, the message was circulated via WhatsApp. The message claimed that a user can get free recharge by clicking on the “blue link.”
In a tweet, the bureau said, “A WhatsApp message claims that the central government is offering all users a recharge of ₹239 for 28 days under the 'Free Mobile Recharge Scheme'”.The PIB Fact-Check team added, “This claim is fake. No such announcement has been made by the Government Of India”.
The bureau has also shared a picture of the “fake” message. It read, “Under Free Mobile Recharge Scheme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all Indian users have been promised to give free recharge of ₹239 for 28 days, so now recharge your number by clicking on the blue colour link below. I have done my 28 days free recharge with this. You can also get 28 days free recharge by clicking on the link given below (last date 30 March, 2023)”.
The fact-check wing added, “The Government Of India is not offering free recharge.”
Before this, the bureau issued an alert related to a message that claimed that the State Bank Of India “is asking recipients to update their PAN on a link to prevent their account from getting expired.”
Sharing a picture of the message, the bureau wrote, “A #Fake message issued in the name of @TheOfficialSBI is asking recipients to update their PAN on a suspicious link to prevent their account from getting expired.”
Urging all SBI customers, the fact-check team added, “Beware of such frauds. SBI never sends emails/SMS asking for personal/banking details.”
For those who are not aware, the last day to link a Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar is March 31, 2023. According to the income tax department, failure to do so will lead to the unlinked PAN becoming inoperative.