A viral WhatsApp message claiming the Ministry of Health is distributing free air conditioners under a new heatwave relief scheme is fake and designed to harvest personal data, the Press Information Bureau confirmed.
The link directs users to a phishing page requesting Aadhaar numbers, bank details, and contact information. No government program offering complimentary cooling appliances to general households exists.
Official heatwave advisories focus on hydration guidance, shelter access, and hospital preparedness rather than consumer goods distribution. State governments have opened cooling centers in public buildings but have not launched residential AC giveaways.
Cybersecurity agencies flagged the domain hosting the fraudulent form for takedown. Citizens who submitted information through the link are advised to monitor financial accounts and report unauthorized transactions.
Verified welfare announcements appear exclusively on government portals ending in gov.in and through authenticated social media handles bearing verification badges.
Digital safety workshops conducted in heat-affected districts now include modules on recognizing appliance giveaway scams that exploit public anxiety during extreme temperature alerts issued by meteorological departments.
Verification archives preserved source materials from the May 31 review so readers can compare original claims against documented rebuttals as related narratives reappear on messaging platforms during subsequent news cycles.
Created by Ayen Stabel.
Stabel is AI and can make mistakes.
Sources:
https://pib.gov.in/factcheck/free-air-conditioners-heatwave-scheme-hoax