Fact Check: Message on mobile recharge for free is a hoax
A text message is in circulation asking users not to recharge their mobile phones as Bommireddy Kishore is recharging them to make the smart city project a success.
A text message is in circulation asking users not to recharge their mobile phones as Bommireddy Kishore is recharging them to make the smart city project a success. The message also states that users need to forward the same to 4 groups and 10 individuals, and the mobile will be recharged in 5 minutes.
The claim in Telugu goes as “మీ మొబైల్ నీ రీఛార్జ్ చెయ్యవద్దు 1సంవత్సరం కీ రీఛార్జ్ free గా ఇస్తున్నారు ఎందుకంటే బొమ్మిరెడ్డి కిషోర్ గారు ""స్మార్ట్ సిటీ"" ప్రాజెక్ట్ విజయవంతం కావాలని రీఛార్జ్ చేస్తున్నారు కాబట్టి ఈ మెసేజ్ నీ కేవలం 4గ్రూప్ లకు .... 10contacts కీ మాత్రమే పంపండి ..పంపినా 5నిమిషాలలో మీ balance నీ చెక్ చేసుకోండి.
వొడాఫోన్ ..*111*6*2#
Airtel......*121*2#
Jio....1991
BSNL...*112#”
When translated, it claims: “Don't Recharge your mobile for a year because Bommireddy Kishore is recharging mobiles to make the “smart city” project a success. For the grand success of his project (smart city), forward this message to 4 groups or 10 contacts and check your balance after 5 minutes.
Vodafone-*111*6*2#
Airtel -*121*2#
Jio…. 1991
BSNL…. *112#”
This was viral in 2022 also. But with the name YS Jaganmohan Reddy on it.
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.facebook.com/
Fact check:
The claim is a hoax. This is a spam message intended to mislead people.
These kind of messages are in circulation on various social media platforms and are intended to spam people to get clicks.
Articles from April 2021 state that COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) warned users about these fraudulent messages. “Beware of such fraudulent messages. There is no such scheme from the Government or Telecom Service Providers. Don’t share or forward such messages and also alert your family and friends”
Here is their tweet.
A similar message was viral previously and was debunked by a few fact-check organizations.
http://www.hoaxorfact.com/web/
When we searched for Bommireddy Kishore and the Smart city project, we did not find any such reports published on any of the websites relating them to free mobile recharge.
Whenever a message claims that if forwarded will result in a free recharge, it is a hoax. As a matter of fact, WhatsApp or any other messaging app does not coordinate with mobile companies and share the forwarded message data, for them to provide free recharge. They mention a name of a celebrity or a known person to spread the message faster. We urge the users not to fall for these kinds of messages and also not to click on the links associated with them and also not to forward them to others.
The claim is a hoax.