Fact Check: Amul 75th Anniversary viral survey link is fake, Cyber Security specialist advises against clicking on suspicious links

New Delhi (Vishvas News): A post going viral on Whatsapp claims in its 75th Anniversary, Amul has rolled out an offer in which the user is asked to tap on a link that claims to offer them Rs 6,000 for completing a survey. The link redirects to a suspicious website. Vishvas News investigated the claim and found it to be fake. The post is a scam and users should not click on the link.

Claim

A post shared on Whatsapp reads: “Amul 75th Anniversary! Click to enter to participate in the survey, have a chance to win 6000 Rupee!” The link in the message reads: “http://palacefault.top/amul/tb.php?_t=16339198711633920036488”.

Investigation

Vishvas News investigated the post by clicking on the link given in the message. The link redirected us to another website https://jollybeef.xyz/AfMjHKgh/amul/?_t=1634027595837#1634027599908 in which we were prompted to answer few survey questions. After answering the questions we were prompted to share the link with our Whatsapp contacts.  (We recommend our users not to click on any suspicious link).

Vishvas News contacted the customer care department of Amul. The official named Shivam said that the viral post is a scam and users should not click on any such suspicious link.

As per Cyber Security Expert, Atul Narula from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS), users should always check messages if they are fake or real before forwarding them on WhatsApp or clicking on any link in a message. The easiest way to hack someone is to send a malicious link with lucrative offers. This is a type of Social Engineering, where users are provoked by lucrative offers to read the post and click on the link containing the virus. Once the link is clicked, the virus is installed in the user’s mobile and they can lose their WhatsApp account.

The expert reviewed the link and found that, once the link given in the viral post is clicked it redirects the user to a different website wherein the user is asked to answer 4 questions along with this the website also has fake comments at the bottom of the website. After answering 4 questions the user is prompted with a message of wining Rs 6000 with a condition to share AMUL 25 anniversary link message in different WhatsApp groups.

What steps should be taken to protect yourself?

According to Atul Narula, Cyber Security Expert:

• Never click on any unknown link, think before you click.
  
• Keep your browser updated
  
• Never click on short URL or link with lucrative offer
  
• Always have a 2-way authentication enabled on your WhatsApp and social media accounts.
  
• Do not click on any link in a message from unknown senders.

Vishvas News also checked the official website of Amul and found that the viral link is not of the official website. There was no such offer or mention of any authentic survey on the official website or any of its social media handles.

Disclaimer: The article is updated with additional details and quotes from experts.

Conclusion: Amul 75th Anniversary viral survey link is fake, Cyber Security specialist advises against clicking on suspicious links.

Tags

• Amul