An alert message making rounds on social media claims that the police department has warned against a group of burglars disguising themselves as government officials (Ministry of Home Affairs – MHA, Ayushman Bharat) visiting to confirm that people have valid ID cards for the census. The message urges individuals not to disclose any information to these criminals who impersonate government representatives and request sensitive information like biometrics. In this article, let’s verify the veracity of the alert message.
Claim: Police alert message against burglars disguising themselves as government officials.
Fact: There are no reports of Indian Home/Police issuing such a warning message. In 2017, the South African Department of Home Affairs issued a cautionary statement alerting the public about such fraudulent activities. Similar versions of the message have been circulating in various countries over the years. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Conducting an online search using relevant keywords did not yield any reports concerning a precautionary message from the Indian police regarding individuals posing as government officials visiting homes to verify residents’ valid ID cards for the census.
Nevertheless, we came across a few South African news articles dating back to 2017 that shared a similar message. According to these reports, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) cautioned the public to remain vigilant against criminals falsely identifying themselves as Home Affairs officials.
In 2017, the South African Department of Home Affairs issued a cautionary statement alerting the public about such fraudulent activities.
Moreover, this identical message has been circulating on social media at least since 2016. Additionally, the message gained traction in Singapore and Malaysia. However, media agencies in those countries have clarified that the message pertains to South Africa (here & here).
To sum it up, the Indian police have not issued this cautionary message regarding thieves posing as government officials.
