The biggest fake news stories that fooled people included claims of cow serum in Covaxin, outrageous RBI scheme and the annual false Ratan Tata quote.
Fake news spreads like wild fire. It is tough for the average mobile phone user to differentiate between the different messages that come on WhatsApp or show up on Facebook or Twitter feeds. But while government and private fact check machineries keep refuting such dangerous false information circulating on social media, readers should always stay cautious of news that may look absurd or seem too good to be true.
In 2021, some of the biggest fake news stories that fooled people included claims of cow serum in Covaxin, free recharges from government for taking COVID vaccine, outrageous RBI scheme, sensational tweets, and the annual fake Ratan Tata quote. Here’s a recap of some of the most viral fake news stories of the year.
Government of India providing WFH opportunities
A message viral on WhatsApp claimed that the Government of India was providing ‘Work from Home’ opportunities in collaboration with an organization. The fact-checking arm of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) refuted the claim on Twitter and said that no such announcement has been made by the government, advising people not to engage with such fraudulent links.
Duplicate Neeraj Chopra’s pro-farmer tweet
Twitter was flooded with fake accounts pretending to be Neeraj Chopra after the athlete created by becoming India’s first track and field gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Hailing from a farming family, soon Neeraj’s exploits were being linked to the farmer protests ongoing in India at the time. A tweet in Hindi made allegedly by Chopra went viral, “There is no point in winning a medal if the farmers of the country are suffering due to atrocities by the government.” This tweet and the account that posted it were later confirmed to be fake. The fake comment was posted from the Twitter handle ‘@neeraj_chopra_’ which closely resembles Neeraj Chopra’s official handle ‘@Neeraj_chopra1’.
Free recharge on COVID vaccine
The false message said, “As India celebrates the Covid-19 vaccination milestone, the government is providing three months of free recharge. You can take advantage of the promotion if you have a Reliance Jio, Airtel, or Vi connection. Your phone will be recharged if you click on the link below. The promotion is only valid till December 20th". The viral message also mentioned an internet link to get the benefit of this offer. The Press Information Bureau's fact check handle later notified that no such statement has been made by the government. "Do not share or forward any of your personal information on the link of any such fake message," PIB fact check tweeted.
500 notes with green strip near Mahatma Gandhi picture are fake
A viral video claimed that if a Rs 500 note has the green strip near the picture of Mahatma Gandhi then that note is fake. According to the viral video, in 'real' notes the green strip is near the signature of the RBI governor. PIB Fact Check clarified that it is merely a rumour and both the notes are legally acceptable. The PIB tweet asserted that the viral video is fake.
Kangana Ranaut as BJP candidate from Mandi
When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its list of candidates for October 2021 by-polls, a fake list claimed that Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut was the party’s candidate for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. The real candidate was Brigadier (retd) Khushal Thakur.
Pay Rs 12500 and get Rs 4.62 crore from RBI
Many people claimed to have received a message from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mentioning that they can earn Rs 4.62 crore after paying only Rs 12,500. RBI had not made any such claims and the fraudsters had impersonated the government's organisation to dupe people of money. The fraudsters even used RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das' picture on the fake website.
Raw onions and salt cure COVID
Home remedies and cures have been widely circulating ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In such an advice doing the rounds on social media, it was claimed that eating onions with rock salt could cure COVID-19. The fact-check wing of the Press Information Bureau refuted the claim saying there is no scientific evidence or any study that shows that the coronavirus infection can be cured by eating raw onion with rock salt.
Annual fake Ratan Tata quote
Ratan Tata and fake quotes is not new. In 2020, a quote “huge downfall of economy” to the coronavirus pandemic was attributed to him and widely shared on social media. This year, the quote was, "Liquor sales should be sold through Aadhaar card. Government food subsidies should be stopped for alcohol buyers." The Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons flagged the fake quote, sharing a 'Fake News' GIF, and writing, "This was not said by me. Thank you."
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 "From free recharge for COVID vaccine to Neeraj Chopra’s pro-farmer tweet: Top ‘Fake News’ stories of 2021")
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