A post accompanying a screenshot of a mobile message which says a particular amount has been deposited into a bank account under a Government Yojana is being shared widely. Further, the message asks to click a URL provided in the message. We have also received a query on our WhatsApp tip line (+91 9247052470) regarding the veracity of the same message. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of the message.
Claim: Approval link SMS which says a particular amount has been deposited into bank account under a Government Yojana.
Fact: The Government has nothing to do with this message. PIB stated the same and rated the message as fake. Usually, government’s cash transfer messages do not ask to click any URL and these messages also state the name of the scheme under which the amount has been deposited. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the same message went viral, PIB through a tweet rated the message as fake. Further, the tweet categorically stated that ‘Government of India is not running any such scheme and is not associated with this text message’.
Generally, the government’s DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) messages do not ask people to click any URL and these messages specifically state the name of the scheme under which the cash transfer is being done. For example, the message related to the PM-KISAN scheme instalment deposit in the beneficiary bank account can be seen in this article. Even the messages from the concerned bank regarding any amount deposited into the account do not send/ask to click a URL.
The government of India runs a campaign alerting citizens against cyber frauds. As a part of this, the concerned department sends SMS to citizens requesting not to click any links as they may lead to cyber fraud. Further, Union Home Ministry has operationalised the national helpline number 155260 and reporting platform for preventing financial loss due to cyber fraud. Such frauds can be reported on the national cybercrime reporting portal (cybercrime.gov.in).
To sum it up, Government has nothing to do with this cash deposit SMS, it is a fraudulent message.
