Fact Check: Viral claims about India Post’s online questionnaire is fake

A lucky draw link is being shared widely on WhatsApp and other social media networks with a false claim that by participating in the quiz you could stand a chance to win the “India Post National Government Subsidy”.

The viral image below shows a template of India Post with the following text:

India Post national government subsidies.

Congratulations! Through the questionnaires, you will have a chance to get Rs. 65,402.40.”

And, then it shows a quiz like this:

“Do you know India Post? Yes / No”

Once you click in any option it moves to the next.

At the end of the quiz, a congratulatory message will appear with 3 conditions. You must tell 5 groups or 20 friends about this promotion. Enter your address and complete registration & the Gift will be delivered within 5 – 7 Days.”

 Fact Check: We checked the official social media handle of the India Post and found this claim to be false.

As the fraudulent link has been in circulation on WhatsApp and other social media platforms for a over a year, India Post X (formerly Twitter) handle posted a statement on February 28, 2024 to alert the customers that the claim is false and they have no connection with the fraudulent website.

“Be alert, Be safe. India Post is not organising any such contests with cash prizes. Don’t click on these scam links”, India Post wrote in a tweet.

If you observe carefully, the URL links shared on social media do not start with indiapost.gov.in, which is the official website of India Post. Also, all the government websites end with the domain gov.in bu the viral link ends with .buzz.

While doing Google Reverse Image search, we found this website screenshot was shared by PIB Fact Check on March 2. 2024, with a caption “A #FAKE lucky draw in the name of @IndiaPostOffice is going viral on social media and is offering a chance to win Rs 6,000 after seeking one's personal details.”

Also PIB Fact Check mentioned that “It’s a scam & is not related with India Post.

According to Dhenkanal Update, a regional media: “A FAKE lucky draw in the name of @IndiaPostOffice It's a scam & is not related with India Post.

Hence, we found the circulated link is a fake one. The Government of India has not announced any kind of subsidies like this & there is no such notification from India Post regarding these types of questionnaires.