Fact Check: Viral message claiming BJP is providing three months of free recharge to all Indian mobile service customers is HOAX

Ahead of the general elections in 2024, a message claiming Bharatiya Janata Party is providing three months of free recharge to all Indian mobile service customers is circulating on WhatsApp. The message promoting this offer carries a website link as well.

The message reads, “PM Narendra Modi is giving 3 Months Free recharge to all Indian users so that more and more people can vote for BJP in the 2024 elections and BJP government can be formed again. Click on the link given below to get 3 Months Free Recharge. (Last Date - 16 NOVEMBER 2023).”

FACT CHECK:

This claim is false as no announcement on provision of free recharge for three months to all Indian mobile service customers has been made by the BJP nor the central government.

We ran a keyword search for “BJP free recharge yojana”, which did not lead us to any credible news reports or official statements of such a scheme. No relevant results showed up on the BJP’s official website either.

The authenticity of the circulating link was also checked in detail. The official website ID of BJP is www.bjp.org. However, the URL of the website with the recharge offer message is different. The circulating link doesn't redirect to the official website either and doesn't look like an official website either. The main poster, moreover, seems photoshopped. Furthermore, this website's domain shows the US (America). With this, it is confirmed that the website linked with the message is not that of BJP.

It should be noted that such messages could result in data theft or a security breach. Such messages are always a hoax. It is advised to beware of such fraudulent messages.

The Press Bureau of Information (PIB) refuted a similar tweet as well. PIB refuted the viral claim and called the message fake and said that no such announcement was made by the Government of India.

Evidently, the viral claim is fake. The whatsapp message is a hoax.