Fact check: Is the 'federal government' providing ₹5,000 in relief funds in India?

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The ongoing coronavirus lockdown has brought upon a number of unforeseen challenges for people around the globe. As seen in the mainstream media and social media, a large number of people are facing dire issues relating to health and finance along with various others. During these testing times, people around the world have evidently looked up to their respective governments and asked for help and various countries have also provided their citizens with support. The Indian government has also come up with a massive Rs 20 lakh crore relief package, a portion of which entails DBT transfer of money to needy citizens; and amid this, some notorious Internet users are capitalizing on the vulnerability of the situation and spreading fake news. 

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'FG lockdown funds' fake message

A message claiming that the federal government will be providing Indian citizens with a relief package of ₹5,000 had gone viral on the Internet recently. The message was coupled along with a link that allowed users to 'instantly claim' the amount. The fake message which first started circulating on WhatsApp was later also shared on various other social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Check it out below - 

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The message is being circulated during times when people have taken huge hits with regards to their livelihoods and businesses. A message of this nature can evidently bait people into clicking the link provided in the message out of curiosity. The link provided in the WhatsApp forward takes users to a website which claims that only '1936 lockdown packages' are available to give away, but the number does not go down or increase on the website and stays the same for days. Check it out below - 

Interestingly, a similar message has also gone viral in Kenya. The message going viral in Kenya also claims that the federal government has issued relief funds for 10,000 Kenyan Shilling. The Kenyan message also provides a fake link which leads to a website similar to the shown above. Check it out below - 

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Google Trends analysis

As the fake message about the federal government providing relief funds to people started going viral, people on the internet took to Google and searched for its credibility. This resulted in a surge in search results for the same. Check it out below - 

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