Fake News Alert: Start reporting Spammers

Fake news is the most stressful thing at present in the world of internet. Technology is a boon and curse in disguise. People can use it for the betterment of themselves and society. But at the same time, it can also be used for demeaning and misguiding other people. It’s a universally acknowledged truth that everyone is dependent on the internet in so many ways. From recipes to restaurants, maps to messages, everything is available on the internet. But it can cause serious harm to someone if they get captured by the web of fake news.  

Internet is full of fake news articles and people. You cannot really decide and differentiate between genuineness and fakeness. The question of authenticity remains unchallenged in the increasing dependence on the internet. 

Worst case scenarios of Fake News Articles 

Imagine a situation of a student waiting for an answer key or the result of some examination. It is the best opportunity for the fake news articles and news publishers to get views and make money which ultimately lands the student in a stressful condition. The student keeps waiting for the result and gets trapped by such spammers time and again in the hope of seeing his/her result. 

Recently, students have started getting numerous push up notifications for the result of UGC-Net exam. It is not declared as of now, yet these fake news spreaders have created tons of article claiming that the result is out in their titles. When you open these sorts of articles you find a line written as “you will get the result link, once it is released on the official website.” These types of articles are fake and manipulating the general public.  

Damage beyond repairable 

Sometimes these fake news handles cause damage that is beyond repairable. There are so many cases of people getting robbed through the virtual media. Many of these fake news handles are scammers who try to hack your mobile and are desperate to steal your data. The moment you click on the link provided by these websites, they get clone of your mobile phone. In times like these, getting your phone hacked is as easy and common as sending a message. Anyone can fall prey to these scams. There are cases where people have emptied their bank accounts to these fake news handles.  

How to protect yourself from scammers 

It is just about one click and everything that’s precious to you is at stake, be it your personal life or your bank accounts. You’ll lose it all. The only way to avoid such situations is awareness. Keep telling people about the authentic website where they can rely on to get the exact information. Try to stick to the official websites if possible. And if you ever cross such websites where you feel that your privacy is under threat, you can opt to report that website, so that you can help yourself and others with possible harm in the future. There is a way to identify such websites, they usually use a thumbnail that can be photo or a link which appears to be real, but they have used it to mislead you. Many fake news handles use images that are edited and created to gain the trust of the spectators. Before you click on any such photo or link, cross-check it with the original site or authentic data. 

Be a savior 

Share this article with people who are naive to understand the algorithm behind fake news handles. Naive people are more prone targets and scammers don’t find gaslighting such people hard at all. Your first step can save someone’s privacy and bankruptcy. It might not mean much at present moment, but this article will become valuable if it happens to help at least one person from getting scammed.  

You may also read about RAS Mains Postpone: Battle between Government & Aspirants