WhatsApp message claiming government will pay Rs 1,30,000 as COVID fund is fake

Aviral message calming that the Indian government has promised to pay Rs 130,000 to all citizens is doing the rounds. The message says that the amount would be paid to every citizen who is above eighteen years of age as COVID fund. However, turns out the message is absolutely false, and yet another phishing attack launched by the cyber attackers.

It was being reported that a message on WhatsApp that comes along with a link and claims that the government is paying Rs 1,30,000 to all citizens is doing the rounds. The message coaxes the receiver to click on the link provided to verify their eligibility for the fund. No such policy was announced by the government so clicking on the link could lead to a phishing attack.

Press Information Bureau’s fact-check team had confirmed on Twitter that the message is absolutely fake. “Claim: A message circulating on #WhatsApp claims that the Government has ordered payment of 130,000 as #Covid funding to all citizens above the age of 18.PIBFactCheck: The claim is #Fake. No such announcement has been made by the Government,” PIB wrote on Twitter.

The message has got the forwarded label on WhatsApp which means that is being widely circulated on the platform. Messages like these on WhatsApp are not uncommon. They are often circulated with an intention to steal sensitive information of the users who click on the link. This could involve your personal data inducing address, bank account details, and more.

Also, when you click on a link like that, you could accidentally download malware on your phone. These are then used to steal passwords of your important sites and social media accounts and other sensitive information. So it is always better to cross-check if you receive such messages on WhatsApp. You should also not forward such messages without verifying the authenticity of the message. By doing so, you not only let out your personal information, you also put your contacts in trouble.

To keep your sensitive information safe, users should always encrypt their documents to avoid potential threats. Encryption is one of the most important things, it encodes a file or a message so that only the person who is supposed to access it will get access and not others. It is important to encrypt any personal information on the internet that you don’t want others to access.