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| - Fact Check: Don't fall for this scandalous BBC scoop on Ambani jr! These are just scammers at work
Former BBC journalist Jane Wakefield, whose byline has been used in the fake news reports, confirmed to India Today that she never wrote them.
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India Today Fact Check
Neither has the BBC published such a report nor has Sharan Hegde interviewed Anant Ambani.
Just days ago, Anant Ambani was dancing, celebrating, and rubbing shoulders with celebrities from across the country and the world. The global press covered the Reliance Industries scion’s ostentatious three-day pre-wedding bash. But days later, it would seem that his fortunes have turned.
Sensational headlines about how the Bank of India sued Anant Ambani "for his remarks on live television shows" began making the rounds. And you couldn’t be blamed for believing them. After all, why would you doubt something like this, if it came from an organisation as prestigious as the BBC?
But just because something looks like the BBC, and feels like the BBC, doesn’t mean it is the BBC. For these 'news articles' merely imitate the British news outlet. Just have a look at them. From the sections to the comments, you can’t interact with anything. They’re set dressing.
These facsimiles of news articles are a dime a dozen. You may have seen similar ones featuring other celebrities or news anchors. Here's another one about Anant Ambani and "what the son of India's richest man has blabbed about". This purports to be a Money Control news report. You can see other similar ones here, here, and here.
The BBC of course never published anything like this. Former BBC journalist Jane Wakefield whose byline is in these 'news reports' confirmed to India Today that she never wrote them.
So, why do these exist? To scam you, of course. Let’s take a look at what’s going on then, shall we?
What tales do these lurid headlines tell?
The first thing you notice when you click on such links — often promoted ads on Facebook — is that the URLs don’t mention the news outlets they are imitating. The Anant Ambani links, for example, redirect you to 'escapekpom.com'.
In it, you will see a fake article about how CNBC TV18 journalist Anand Narasimhan, during the live broadcast, got into a heated discussion with Anant Ambani, and "called him a liar right in front of thousands of live viewers". But soon, Ambani reportedly convinced Narasimhan to register on a website to earn more money, and like clockwork, the news anchor made a profit.
Interestingly, refreshing the page leads you to another fake interview; this one on the photoblog Humans of Bombay, between financial influencer Sharan Hegde and Ambani. This interview also follows a similar script.
Of course, Narasimhan’s actual interview with Anant Ambani did not go this way at all. It had zero mention of investment platforms. You can see that interview right here.
And Sharan Hegde’s PR manager Bhavika Valecha confirmed to India Today that he never interviewed Anant Ambani. Additionally, Anupriya Akhade, the group solutions manager at Humans of Bombay, also told us that they have never conducted such a talk.
What are these “investment” platforms?
The investment website that Anant Ambani supposedly boasts of in these fake news articles is 'Immediate A8 Alrex'. It’s hyperlinked. As soon as you click on the link (and you absolutely never should), you will be redirected to a new page where you are asked to enter your personal details.
As soon as you enter this information (which, again, you never should), you'll receive a message that your application has been accepted. However, the next website that pops open may get blocked if you have antivirus software. You receive the warning that this site may potentially steal your passwords, emails, or even credit card details.
Examining the URL of this "investment platform" discloses much. According to DomainTools, 'Immediate A8 Alrex' was created on March 4 — less than two weeks ago. And already, DomainTools reveals, it has been reported 60 times for spamming and 69 times for phishing attempts. Phishing is a form of social engineering, where bad actors try to deceive you into revealing sensitive information or installing malware. It can lead to data mining, financial scams, and often, both.
So, it’s more than clear that these fake news articles about Anant Ambani are just another way to scam people.
India Today has reached out to Meta, enquiring about what steps the tech giant is taking to curb misleading articles like these that are promoted as ads. This story will be updated as and when we receive a response.
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You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
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