Fact Check: Is Jio offering free ₹498 recharge for all users?

The 21-day lockdown in India due to the Coronavirus outbreak has evidently put a strain on people's lives. Keeping aside a few minuscule activities, it is only expected that people spend a big chunk of their day indulging in online platforms which require internet. Be it streaming YouTube videos or playing online games, the internet is a requirement to fulfil both leisure and business activities in the modern world. In an evident attempt to exploit this vulnerability of people, many notorious internet users started spreading messages which consisted of fake web links to ₹498 recharge of Jio data and calling services. 

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Claim - 

Various social media posts and WhatsApp messages were forwarding fake links of ₹498 Jio recharge. The messages suggested that Jio has availed this offer their user by taking current situations into consideration. Various messages were sharing different fake links of the Jio website with the same claim. The messages were predominantly forwarded in Hindi on WhatsApp and various other regional languages on other platforms. Check it out below - 

Rating - False

The official Jio Twitter account has denied offering free ₹498 recharge to anyone. The links shared in the messages would lead users to a fake Jio website which would ask them to register their names and numbers and collect data. Besides this, such links can also lead websites full of malware which can, in fact, harm your device. If one needs to know about the offers or recharge packages offered by Jio, their official website is listed below - 

• Official Jio Website - https://www.jio.com/welcome

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Origin - 

The fake message first started circulating on the WhatsApp messenger. Soon after, various people also started circulating the message on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. various YouTube videos were also made by various netizens which provided the viewers with the fake link for the ₹498 Jio recharge. 

Google Trends analysis for fake ₹498 Jio recharge messages

As the fake messages of Jio offering free ₹498 recharge started circulating on the internet, people were quick to search on Google whether the messages held any credibility. As a result, a surge of people searching for ₹498 Jio recharge was witnessed on Google. Check it out below - 

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