Fact Check: Is India Post running lucky draws? PIB issues notification; Read here

On April 23, India Post warned the public against fraudulent website URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) circulating on social media, claiming to provide government subsidies through certain surveys and quizzes.

“We wish to inform the citizens of the Country that India Post is not involved in any such activities like announcing Subsidies, Bonuses or Prizes based on Surveys, etc. Public receiving such notifications/messages/emails are requested not to believe or respond to such fake and spurious messages or share any personal details,” an official statement from the Ministry of Communications read.

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) shot down the fake lucky draw and wrote, "A  FAKE lucky draw in the name of India Post Office is viral on social media and is offering a chance to win ₹6,000 after seeking one's personal details." It further added, "It's a scam & is not related with India Post."

Fake websites running scams

It is pertinent to mention that India Post had already warned people against fake websites claiming to run lucky draws in the name of it. On April 21, India Post shared the information through its official Twitter handle and said, "Multiple fake websites claims to be running @indiapost_dop 170th-anniversary lucky draw. India Post/Department of Posts has nothing to do with such scamming activity. Beware of such fraudulent activities."

India Post further said that the website has no association with India post. "Neither the website nor the organisation is associated with India Post. Beware of such fake organisations and webpages," India Post tweeted.

The Ministry of Communications said that India Post as well as the PIB Fact Check unit have declared the draw as fake. "India Post and Fact Check Unit of the PIB have declared these URLs/Websites as fake through social media," said the Ministry of Communications in a statement.

India Post also requested the common public not to share any personally identifiable information such as date of birth, account numbers, mobile numbers, place of birth and OTP, etc to these fake websites. India Post further stated that they are using various preventative techniques to prevent these URLs, links, and Websites from propagating.

“Public at large is once again requested not to believe or respond to any fake/spurious messages/communications/links,” the official statement read. 

Image: ANI