Fake: Govt has not promised a Rs 5,000 lockdown fund

New Delhi: A WhatsApp forward that promises of free Rs 5,000 in relief funds from the government as a limited time offer is fake.

The message redirects to a questionable website with many red flags which is not associated with the government in any way.

A similar message and similar website is viral on Kenyan social media offering lockdown benefits in Kenyan shillings instead of Indian rupees.

The message reads ‘FG [federal government] has finally approved and have started giving out free Rs.5,000 Relief Funds to each citizen.

Below is how to claim and get yours credit Instantly as I have just did now

https://bit.ly/free—fundsNote: You can only claim and get credited once and it’s also limited so get your now Instantly.’

The message comes with a link that says activates the benefits. Similar to the Facebook comments section the website displays a number of comments stating that the users have received the benefits being offered by the website.

No matter how many times or when one visits the website, the page will show that there are precisely 1,936 lockdown packages left to be given Also, the name of the beneficiaries, as claimed, and timestamp in the comments – always set at ‘just now’ for all and ‘2 mins ago’ for one comment – never change.

Many Twitter account holders have asked the authorities about its authenticity by sharing the message.

The message is being circulated at a time when people are losing their jobs and source of earning and have started demanding for relief funds from the government due to the ongoing national lockdown that started on March 25 to contain COVID-19 spread.