Fake Pakistani Welfare Site Link Spreads Online

A social assistance program initiated during the tenure of Pakistan's previous Prime Minister, Imran Khan, concluded in 2022, as reported by a federal authority to AFP. Claims suggesting that individuals in Pakistan can still sign up for this initiative direct them to a fraudulent website designed to collect users’ private information.

Over 960,000 individuals will receive 20,000 rupees each for their welfare. The application process has commenced, and applicants are receiving 20,000 rupees via the Ehsaas Ration Program," states an Urdu-captioned post on Facebook. post published on March 15.

It also features an image with the message, "This program aims to offer financial support to underprivileged households."

The posting indicates that candidates can sign up via a hyperlink, directing them to a page This requests their name as well as their educational background and income bracket.

The ex-prime minister Imran Khan launched The Ehsaas initiative launched in March 2019 as an extension of the federal Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), aimed at offering monetary assistance to underprivileged citizens. archived link ).

The same claim spread elsewhere on Facebook However, a federal government official informed AFP on April 25 that this program concluded in 2022.

The official further stated that all other postings encouraging people to sign up for grants are "fraudulent."

The BISP published a video On March 26, it was stated that individuals qualified for other assistance programs within the scheme get enrolled via a biennial survey conducted periodically. ( archived link ).

It does not mention registration through a website.

Moreover, the BISP programme's website uses the "gov.pk" domain. But the link in the false posts is hosted on a URL that ends in .buzz ( archived link ).

AFP has previously debunked misinformation related to other bogus government websites.