Update (08 January 2024):
Another Facebook post carrying a website link is being widely shared claiming that the Government of India is offering a free Paytm scratch card worth up to ₹2,000. Let’s check the veracity of the post.
Firstly, we searched to determine if the Government of India had launched any such scratch card scheme but found no evidence to support this. Subsequently, upon accessing the link mentioned in the Facebook post, we discovered that it redirects to a malicious third-party website. After scratching the scratch card, it was found that the user was redirected to the Paytm app, which then requested payment from the user to the scammer. In the past, the police department, payment apps such as Paytm and PhonePe, and the Press Information Bureau (PIB) have issued warnings about such scams, advising users to refrain from opening such links to avoid financial loss.
Update (29 December 2022):
Another website link is being widely shared claiming that Reliance is offering a free Paytm scratch card worth up to ₹10,000. Let’s check the veracity of website link.
No such announcement is made by Reliance company. Upon clicking the scratch card, user is redirected to Paytm Payment page where the user is asked to transfer ₹ 4,441 to a fraudster. Also, Paytm warns its customers to be aware of these kinds of phishing scams. It is strictly advised not to click any unauthorised links to receive or send money, as it may cause money loss.
Update (21 December 2022):
Another website link is being widely shared claiming that TATA company is offering a free Paytm scratch card worth ₹2999. Let’s check the veracity of website link.
No such announcement is made by TATA company. Upon clicking the scratch card, user will be redirected to Paytm Payment page where the user is asked to transfer ₹2,999 to fraudster. Also, Paytm warns its customers to be aware of these kinds of Phishing Scams. It is strictly advised not to click any unauthorised links to receive or send money, as it may cause money loss.
Update (20 December 2022):
Another website link is being widely shared online offering Paytm scratch card. Let’s verify the veracity of website link.
Claim: Website offering Paytm cash back through scratch coupons.
Fact: This is a fraudulent website created by copying Paytm’s User Interface. Paytm warns its users not to click any unauthorised links as it may cause loss of money to the user.
Though the website’s interface is similar to that of Paytm, the URL, clickandgrow.co.in, indicates that it is trying to dupe the users by copying the Paytm’s Users Interface. Paytm’s URL is paytm.com. Also, Paytm warns its customers to be aware of these kinds of Phishing Scams. It is strictly advised not to click any unauthorised links to receive or send money, as it may cause money loss.
To demonstrate this kind of scam, we clicked on the scratch card, and it instantly redirected to payment page in Paytm app. The message from the other person says, ‘Transfer to your bank’. But, if one observes carefully, ‘You (user) are paying’ ₹949 to the fraudster. Hence, the link shared in the post is fraudulent.
Published (18 January 2022):
A social media post that shares a website link offering scratch card coupons of PhonePe is being widely circulated. Let’s fact-check the veracity of the viral website link.
Claim: Website offering PhonePe cash back through scratch coupouns.
Fact: This is a fraudulent website. PhonePe has warned users about such fraudulent websites offering cash backs and scratch cards. It asked the users to refrain from clicking such links. Earlier, the police have also warned citizens of such websites which lead to financial frauds. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The user interface of the viral link also resembles the interface of the scratch coupons section of PhonePe. However, this is not the original PhonePe web address. The purported website link ‘phoneqe.com.get-creadit.xyz/home’ tries to mimic the popular Indian digital payment processor Phonepe.com. Moreover, the viral URL is registered only in December 2021, with the domain name get-credit.xyz. All these establish the fact that it’s a fraudulent website.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to PhonePe’s cautionary message to users warning about the fraudulent links offering cashback rewards. The message advises users of similar social media posts sharing fraudulent links offering cash backs and scratch cards.
Further, Thane Police have warned people against fraudulent website links offering cashback rewards in the name of PhonePe earlier in April 2021.
Moreover, it is noteworthy to mention that PhonePe offers its financial services only through its mobile app and not through its website.
To sum it up, this website offering PhonePe scratch cards is fraudulent.
