New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) The government’s fact-checking arm PIB Fact Check on Thursday debunked a viral video that falsely shows Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman endorsing a high-return investment scheme, warning citizens against falling for such misinformation.

In a post on social media platform X, PIB Fact Check said the video, which claims that an investment of Rs 22,000 could yield returns of Rs 5.5 lakh within a week, is fake and generated using artificial intelligence.

“A viral video of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman claims to offer Rs 5,50,000 in a week in lieu of an initial investment amount of Rs 22,000. The video is fake and AI generated,” it said.

The agency clarified that neither the Government of India nor the Finance Minister is promoting or endorsing any such scheme, and urged people to remain cautious of misleading content circulating online.

“Neither the Government nor the Finance Minister is endorsing any such investment scheme,” it added.

The fact-checking unit also advised citizens to verify such claims through official government sources before taking any financial decisions.

It further appealed to users to report and flag suspicious content to help curb the spread of misinformation.

“Stay vigilant. Verify such claims through official government sources only,” PIB Fact Check said.

Meanwhile, last month, PIB flagged a fake message circulating on social media that claims State Bank of India’s (SBI) YONO app accounts will be blocked if users do not update their Aadhaar details immediately.

The purported message instructs recipients to download an APK file titled “SBI KYC AADHAR UPDATE” and install it to avoid disruption of services.

“The warning, which appears to be a phishing attempt, is designed to mislead account holders into sharing sensitive banking and personal information,” PIB said last month.

–IANS

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