On the left: Kiran & Shiv Nadar, on the right: Azim Premji.
It’s best to take posts and messages on social media with a pinch of salt. The Nadars and Premjis were the most recent subjects of a forward that went viral.
That the internet reacts to every event in its own peculiar way is a given. But not everything that lands on your social media is the truth.
Take for instance a message that started doing the rounds last month about billionaire Azim Premji. It said Premji had asked guests to donate money to charity, instead of giving gifts to his son Rishad and daughter-in-law Aditi at their wedding in 2005.
The same message mentioned Kiran Nadar, wife of billionaire Shiv Nadar. It said that she “made a donation of Rs 45 crore to schools run by Premji Foundation”.
Rishad Premji did not accept any gifts on his wedding.
When contacted, Nadar’s communications team clarified that the information was not true. The inclusion of Nadar’s name in the message could perhaps have something to do with her husband Shiv and her credentials as philanthropists.
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In the past, the HCL founder has pledged Rs 3,000 crore towards education initiatives in the country.
Azim Premji and wife Yasmeen spotted at an event together.
Wipro Limited also denied the news. “This is a fake message and there is no truth to it,” they responded. Premji was the first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge (an initiative by Bill and Melinda Gates where billionaires pledge to give back a majority portion of their wealth to philanthropy) a few years ago. When the Wipro founder got married to his wife Yasmeen in the 1970s, it was a simple affair.
An earlier interview based on Yasmeen had said: “The wedding [Premji and Yasmeen’s] was a simple affair as prevailing government rules allowed a couple to invite only 100 guests.” They forgot to call a photographer for the reception and gave their wedding gifts away to charity, the article said.
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While the same piece mentioned that high-profile guests “were served food in paper plates”, it made no mention of asking guests to donate to charity at Rishad’s wedding.
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Not Just Fake News, Be A Pro At Spotting All Things Bogus On the Internet
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Fake news is just the tip of the iceberg. The truth is, the internet is full of lies and you need a keen eye to segregate the bogus from the bonafide.
Fake news is just the tip of the iceberg. The truth is, the internet is full of lies and you need a keen eye to segregate the bogus from the bonafide.
Fraudulent job emails usually don’t have detailed information about the role, company and package.
Also, if an offer asks you to pay for an appointment or interview, it’s fake. No employer asks for money in the name of security deposits in advance.
Fraudulent job emails usually don’t have detailed information about the role, company and package. Also, if an offer asks you to pay for an appointment or interview, it’s fake. No employer asks for m..
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Social media influencers often grumble about fake profiles.
But they are not difficult to identify — a fake profile will have a stock image or no image, not many friends, lack of activity in the platform and too many or too few followers.
Then there are bot accounts that are fake voters with loud opinions or obsessive re-tweeters.
Social media influencers often grumble about fake profiles. But they are not difficult to identify — a fake profile will have a stock image or no image, not many friends, lack of activity in the plat..
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Do you know one among four products in your shopping wishlist at an e-commerce site can be counterfeit?
Irrespective of what you intend to buy, compare the product with the one listed on the brand’s official website, and look for the assurance tag on the product to ensure it’s genuine. Also, avoid products offering heavy discounts.
Do you know one among four products in your shopping wishlist at an e-commerce site can be counterfeit? Irrespective of what you intend to buy, compare the product with the one listed on the brand’s ..
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Fake reviews are nothing new on hotel, restaurant, book and e-commerce sites.
But they can be damaging. Unlike genuine reviews that contain words specifically relating to the place or product in question, the fake ones are vague and include repeated use of same words or marketing terms.
Questionable grammar and the use of superlatives are also signs of suspicious reviews.
Fake reviews are nothing new on hotel, restaurant, book and e-commerce sites. But they can be damaging. Unlike genuine reviews that contain words specifically relating to the place or product in ques..
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Fake mobile apps mimic the look of legitimate applications to trick you to install them.
Once installed, they tend to perform malicious actions. Such apps are usually hosted on third-party app stores.
If you come across apps in the App Store and Play Store that are crowded with ads, then stay away. You should also check all app permissions carefully.
Fake mobile apps mimic the look of legitimate applications to trick you to install them. Once installed, they tend to perform malicious actions. Such apps are usually hosted on third-party app stores..
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Unlike malware or spyware, scareware pretends to be real security protection and then tricks you into paying to clean up infections it claims to have detected.
To avoid falling into the trap, install a decent anti-virus, avoid visiting dubious web locations, and if a fake ransom demand popup refuses to leave your screen, call its bluff by killing the browser using Task Manager.
Unlike malware or spyware, scareware pretends to be real security protection and then tricks you into paying to clean up infections it claims to have detected. To avoid falling into the trap, install..
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We are all introduced to fake or phishing emails where the sender is ‘fishing’ for our personal information.
And they are not difficult to identify as well — just ‘report spam’ if you receive an email with impersonal greetings like ‘Dear user’ or ‘Dear [your email address]’, or if the email asks you to click on links that take you to a fake website, contains unknown attachments or conveys a false sense of urgency.
We are all introduced to fake or phishing emails where the sender is ‘fishing’ for our personal information. And they are not difficult to identify as well — just ‘report spam’ if you receive an emai..
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The internet has hundreds of legitimate survey sites. Then there are the fake ones that invite people to take surveys.
If a site offers outrageous incentives such as free vacations, expensive products or a lot of cash, it’s fake.
Stay away from platforms that ask for your family or bank details, or asks you to download software.
And never share your frequently used email IDs.
The internet has hundreds of legitimate survey sites. Then there are the fake ones that invite people to take surveys. If a site offers outrageous incentives such as free vacations, expensive product..
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There has been a rise in misleading ad experiences from third-party tech support providers recently.
In a bid to crack down on scam ads, Google will roll out a verification program in the coming months.
Last year, the company took down over 3.2 billion ads that violated its advertising policies.
There has been a rise in misleading ad experiences from third-party tech support providers recently. In a bid to crack down on scam ads, Google will roll out a verification program in the coming mont..
