Update (10 November 2022):
Another video of a child suffering severe burns is being widely shared seeking donations for an urgent heart operation. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Donation for baby’s heart operation.
Fact: The baby seen in the post is Abel John, son of Aleena from Kozhikode, Kerala. On 19 March 2022, he accidentally fell into fire pit and sustained 24% burns. He underwent scrubbing and membrane application. Doctors said that a sum of ₹12 lakhs would be required to perform multiple surgeries and rehabilitation. Aleena started fundraising campaign on Ketto and collected ₹11.72 lakhs. Though the campaign has ended on 13 April 2022, several social media users are sharing these visuals and asking people to donate money to some unknown fraudulent account. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
According to Crowdfunding platform Ketto, the boy seen in the video is Abel John, son of Aleena residing in Kozhikode, Kerala. On 19 March 2022, John accidentally fell into a fire pit near their home and is admitted to Aster MIMS hospital. Doctors said that John sustained 24% burns all over his body and underwent scrubbing and membrane application on 20 March 2022. However, he will require multiple surgeries for proper recovery and rehabilitation which will cost around ₹12 lakhs.
Aleena ran a fundraising campaign on Ketto to arrange the required sum for her son’s treatment. However, the campaign has ended on 13 April 2022 and collected ₹11.72 lakhs. But several social media users are sharing these visuals and asking people to donate money to some unknown fraudulent account. We contacted Ketto and Aleena to know the present condition of the baby and will update this article when upon their response.
Published (22 October 2022):
Several images and videos of children suffering from various medical disorders are being widely shared on social media platforms seeking donations for their treatment. Let’s verify the claims made in each case.
Case 1
Images of a baby with a swollen stomach are being shared online asking donations for baby’s treatment with a claim that he’s suffering from cancer. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Donations for the treatment of a baby suffering from cancer.
Fact: Images show Jiyaan, an 8-month-old baby diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis of liver with portal hypertension in early 2021. Unable to bear an amount of almost ₹ 20 lakhs for his liver transplant surgery, his parents asked for donations through Ketto. Several people donated money and the surgery was performed successfully. Jiyaan is doing well now. This fundraising campaign had already ended in ketto more than a year ago. Social media users are sharing these old images and asking people to transfer money to fraudulent accounts. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
Reverse image search of these viral images led us to a fundraising campaign by online crowdfunding platform ketto. The website shows that this fundraising campaign has already ended a year ago.
According to ketto, viral images show Jiyaan, born in August 2020. In early 2021, he was diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis of liver with portal hypertension by Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. Doctors informed his parents that he needs an urgent liver transplant that will cost around ₹ 20 Lakhs. Unable to arrange this huge an amount, his parents started a fundraising campaign on Ketto. With the help of 1661 generous supporters, a liver transplant surgery was successfully performed, and Jiyaan is now leading a healthy life.
To sum it up, several social media users are sharing images of an already fulfilled fundraising campaign now and asking people to donate the sum to fraudulent accounts.
Case 2
Images of a child with swollen face are being widely shared online seeking donations for her treatment with a claim that it she’s suffering from cancer. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Donations for the treatment of a baby suffering from cancer.
Fact: The child seen in the viral image is 5- year- old Tajrin from Bangladesh who was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer back in 2020. With the help of online donations through ketto, she got the required amount of ₹ 20 lakhs for treatment. She is now cancer free and is doing well. However, several social media users are sharing these images now and are asking donors to transfer money to fraudulent accounts. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
According to Crowdfunding platform Ketto, these viral images show 5- year- old Tajrin from Bangladesh diagnosed with a rare type of cancer back in 2020. Unable to bear the sum of ₹ 20 lakh for her treatment, her father Zosim started fund raising campaign in Ketto.
With the help of donors, he got the required amount for her treatment. In an update 2 years ago, her father shares that she’s now cancer free and doing extremely well. Also, the fundraising campaign has ended in Ketto. However, several social media users are sharing these pictures now and are asking to transfer the sum to some fraudulent accounts.
Case 3: (Updated on 23 October 2022)
Another post containing the images of a woman lying unconsciously on a hospital bed with stitches on her head is being widely shared on social media platforms seeking donations, claiming that she has tumours in her head and needs ₹ 20 lakhs for the treatment. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ₹ 20 lakh donations for the treatment of a girl who’s suffering from tumours on her head.
Fact: Images show Preethi Prabhakaran of Tamil Nadu. She met with a bus accident on in September 2022. Due to severe head injuries, she was unconscious at Apollo Hospitals, Trichy, and the estimated cost for her treatment is ₹14 Lakhs. Unable to bear the treatment cost, her mother started a fundraising campaign on Impact Guru. However, some social media users are using her photo and are asking people to donate money to some unknown fraudulent bank accounts. Actual bank account details are available at Preethi’s fundraising page on Impact Guru’s website. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Reverse Image search using the viral images led us to a fundraising campaign on online crowdfunding website ‘Impact Guru’ in the name of Preethi Prabhakaran.
According to Impact Guru, Preethi is a 19-year-old student from Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu who has met with a bus accident on 17 September 2022 and was admitted to Apollo Hospital. Preethi sustained severe head injuries and doctors said that she needs prolonged ICU stay to survive which would require ₹ 14 Lakhs. Unable to arrange such huge amount, Preethi’s mother started a fundraising campaign on Impact Guru for her treatment. Bank account details of Preethi are available on this page. However, some users are sharing this post asking people to donate the money to some unknown fraudulent account.
