Fact Check: Is Airtel Offering Free Recharge of ₹598 with Free Data?

Claim: Airtel offering Free Recharge of Rs. 598 with Free Data

Rating: False

What is the rumour about?

A WhatsApp forward is circulating all over social media, stating that Airtel is offering a free recharge of Rs 598 amidst the Coronavirus lockdown. 

Who started the rumour?

• Social media users, especially WhatsApp
• Many mobile users who received the WhatApp message forwarded to 15 of their contacts and thus the message became viral in the country. 

ALSO READ| Fact Check: Will An Asteroid Really Hit Earth On April 29, 2020?

Republic World did a fact check on the Airtel 598 free recharge rumour

• Republic World did a fact check on the Airtel 598 free recharge viral message and found the claim to be FALSE. 
• The scam website of Airtel states that by answering 4 questions correctly, one can get free recharge of Rs 598.
• The URL of the apparent scam website of Airtel states that it will give a free recharge with a validity of 84 days and an unlimited internet of 126 GB.
• The link is to a website called 'freeairtel'. 
• The URL asks 4 general knowledge questions in Hindi, following which it claims to provide recharge of Rs 598 after you send the message to 15 of your contacts. 

Image courtesy: freeairtel website

Fake Airtel website with the fake offer - 

This is the link to the website which is luring people to on their URL while providing a free recharge of Rs. 598 for Airtel subscribers. The website is called freeairtel and this is the URL -  http://freeairtel.wahmusic.in/

• After answering the last question, one can see the below image on their screen.
• The page asks the user for their name and Airtel number. 
• Next, the user gets a message saying that they need to forward the WhatsApp message to 15 contacts, after which they can avail the free recharge offer.
• The offer is claimed to be a fake one, and no one gets a free recharge by pursuing these steps. Neither is there any official information by Airtel regarding this free recharge offer amidst the Coronavirus lockdown.  

Image courtesy: freeairtel website

ALSO READ| Fact Check: Is The Houseparty Application Hacking Its Users To Collect Data?

Google Trends

• Take a look at how much time the Airtel free recharge keyword has been searched on Google after the fake message became viral in India. 
• The rumour currently has the maximum number of searches on March 31, 2020. 

Image courtesy: Google Trends

ALSO READ| Fact Check: Has Someone In Goa Dressed Up As A Ghost To Make People Stay At Home?

Disclaimer: It is advised to away from any such scams and not participate in them. Unless you are completely sure of the authenticity of the website, do not share your personal details with any site. In this case, the Airtel website URL is not of the official website, it is advised to not use any unofficial website links. 

Is there any rumour you want Republic World to do a fact check on? Do you have facts about a rumour? Share your pictures or videos with Republic World on contact@republicworld.com

ALSO READ| Fact Check: Did 21 Million Cell Phones Really Disappear In China?