Elections 2024: 'Free Recharge Yojana' hoax messages trapping voters!

As elections are drawing closer, various posts mostly with misinformation pieces are doing rounds on social media. These misleading posts often lure people into a trap by cyber fraudsters.  People are asked to click on certain links and that is when all hell breaks loose. 

Beware of all such posts! They are meant to scam money from people who are asked to click on certain URL links. 

Usually, well ahead of the elections, parties reportedly announce various sops to woo voters. Many of such sops are not known to the common people.  

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According to sources, taking a clue from this, cyber fraudsters get into their usual act. To deceive people, they feed and float such information. Misguided by such posts meant to commit financial scams, many fall into fraudsters’ scheme of things and unsuspectingly allow themselves to bleed financially.  

Here is an example. Shockingly, a post recently did rounds on social media claiming: that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is offering free recharge of Rs 239 to ensure more people vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 

One Prithiviraj Shukla was allegedly found floating the post, which was later dismissed as a hoax by one Abhisekh Anand on December 31, 2023.  

Anand countered it, writing: “PM Modi Launching ‘Free Recharge Yojana’ for 2024 Polls? No, It’s a Hoax.”

He warned, “The website linked to the viral message collects user data and could potentially lead to financial scams.”

On a website, (factly.in) one Dillip Kumar Sripada pointed out: “A post is being shared on social media claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has announced a ‘3-month free mobile recharge’ offer to all Indian citizens as part of promoting Congress for the 2024 General Elections.”

The post shared a URL link asking users to click on the website to avail of the free recharge offer announced by Rahul Gandhi. 
Some other social media posts reportedly claimed that the Indian National Congress announced the ‘Free Recharge Yojana’ to attract voters for Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. 

In fact, on verification, there was no such announcement made by Rahul Gandhi or the Congress.

(By OdishaTV Bureau)