WhatsApp Message Titled 'RESCUE FLIGHTS FROM INDIA' With Google Forms For Indians Stranded Abroad is Fake, Says PIB Fact Check
The viral message contains a purported list of flights that will bring back stranded Indians from foreign countries amid the coronavirus outbreak.
New Delhi, May 6: As India is preparing to carry out one of the world's largest air rescue operations from May 7, a message with links to Google Forms titled "RESCUE FLIGHTS FROM INDIA" for Indians stranded abroad, is going viral on social media platforms, especially on WhatsApp. The viral message contains a purported list of flights that will bring back stranded Indians from foreign countries amid the coronavirus outbreak. Viral Audio Clip Claiming Vegetable Vendors Are Spreading Coronavirus by Licking, Spitting on Items is Fake.
The message asks Indians stranded abroad to fill Google Forms titled "RESCUE FLIGHTS FROM INDIA" to get themselves registered. The Press Information Buerue of India (PIB) fact-checked the message being shared widely and found it to be fake. Hence, a clarification was issued by the PIB Fact Check debunking the content of the viral message and links mentioned in it. The PIB urged Indians to visit the embassy's official website. Ratan Tata Again Calls Out Fake News as Rumour Mongers Quote Him as Saying That '2020 Is Year to Survive, Not to Make Profit'.
"Indian Govt has not issued any such forms. It's advised not to click on these links & to register only through the official Embassy website (sic)," read a tweet by PIB Fact Check.
WhatsApp Message Titled 'RESCUE FLIGHTS FROM INDIA' With Google Forms is Fake:
Social media platforms are flooded with fake news and misinformation around coronavirus. Readers are advised not to believe everything that they receive on WhatsApp and see on Facebook and Twitter. To catch verified updates on the coronavirus outbreak, check the official website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - mohfw.gov.in - or visit LatestLY.com.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 06, 2020 09:21 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).