Fact Check: Is Jio giving free data for six months due to COVID-19 lockdown?

COVID-19 lockdown has evidently put a strain on many lives in India but that hasn't stopped from malicious internet users to share fake news and committing cybercrime. As lockdown has made users spend more time on internet, various fake messs baiting people to download questionable third-party apps in exchange for getting free data have come to light. w, a similar fake mess has been spotted by netizens. 

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Claim 

A recent forwarded mess through SMS and Facebook ads are claiming that Jio and Facebook are giving away 25 GB daily data for next six months due to COVID-19 lockdown. mess also consists of a link which users can click and install a fake app. fake application actually looks very similar to MyJio application.

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Rating - False

official spokesperson of Jio has revealed to a leading news daily that mess being circulated through SMS and social media is actually fake. such tie-up between Jio and Facebook was ever anunced and mess makes a fabricated claim about collaboration. link shared in fake mess is actually made by Weebly which is a free website builder. But website is t active anymore. 

Origin 

Various reports are suggesting that Jio-Facebook 25 GB free data mess is actually a serious cybercrime. number sending out mess is also reported from India. mess was circulated through SMS and was later quickly shared on social media. When website was functioning, it would lead users to download a third-party app which crashed after showing one pop-up advertisement, giving it plenty of time to put malicious software and viruses in device. 

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Google Trends Analysis

As a number of people started receiving mess about Jio's free data pack for 25 GB, y took to mselves and searched for mess's aunticity on internet. This resulted in a surge of search results for same. Check it out below - 

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