New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) The government’s fact-checking arm PIB Fact Check on Thursday debunked a viral video falsely showing Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman supporting high-yield investment schemes and warned the public not to fall for such misinformation.
In a post on social media platform
“A viral video of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman claims to offer Rs 550,000 in one week instead of an initial investment of Rs 22,000. The video is fake and generated by AI,” it said.
The agency clarified that neither the Government of India nor the Finance Minister promotes or supports such plans, and urged the public to continue to be wary of misleading content circulating online.
“Neither the government nor the Minister of Finance supports such investment plans,” it added.
The fact-checking unit also advised the public to verify such claims through official government sources before making financial decisions.
It also encouraged users to report and flag questionable content to curb the spread of misinformation.
“Please remain vigilant and verify such claims only through official government sources,” PIB Fact Check said.
Meanwhile, PIB last month warned that fake messages were circulating on social media claiming that State Bank of India (SBI) YONO app accounts will be blocked if users do not update their Aadhaar details soon.
The message instructs recipients to download and install an APK file titled “SBI KYC AADHAR UPDATE” to avoid service interruption.
“This alert, which appears to be a phishing attempt, is intended to mislead account holders into sharing sensitive banking and personal information,” PIB said last month.
–IANS
P.K.
