FakePanicStrangeWrong Caption

No, recieving calls from numbers starting from 140 wont empty your bank balance.

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Multiple videos of Mumbai Police warning people  in the streets about scam calls from numbers starting 140  are doing the rounds on social media. The videos showing Mumbai Police staff making public announcements went viral on Twitter and Facebook as people shared it suspecting fraud calls from numbers starting with 140. The video descriptions claimed that citizens should not pick up calls from numbers starting with 140 as their bank balance would become zero/nil. A sense of panic and fear spread among people as they watched these videos.

Twitter

This Twitter user tagged Mumbai Police to confirm if the rumour was true.

 

 

Here is another video which was shared with a similar claim.

 

Facebook

Several similar videos were shared on Facebook by individuals and fb groups.

AIMIM Fans club page shared this video.

 

 

 

Truth

Mumbai Police officially clarified that this was a false rumour. Maharashtra Cyber Police tweeted that numbers starting with +140 number are of telemarketing calls. The police also wrote about the viral message claims that one’s bank account will be emptied if one receives calls from the numbers starting with 140. According to the tweet bank accounts are at risk only if a person shares their PIN number or OTP. In the end, the tweet said that the clarification has been issued by the Inspector General of Special Police.

The real reason behind the viral videos and claims turned out be a bizzare promotional strategy used by SonyLIV for an upcoming web series. According to an NDTV report from July 11, people in Mumbai are receiving such prank calls for promotion of a web series. The report is based on PTI feed. Several people have contacted the police out of fear. The report adds that a person named Vaibhav Pawar told the police that he received a call from ‘Rishi’ at around 4 pm. Rishi was crying on the phone and telling him that he saw a murder happen in front of him and now the murderer wants to kill him too.

Credit: Alt news

These calls were fake and the murder story was madeup as a part of promotional activities . The channel claimed that its “intention was not to cause any kind of discomfort or panic.” The channel Sony LIV was making such fake calls to promote its new series ‘Undekhi’. While giving clarification in this matter on July 10 Sony LIV apologised.

Mumbai police criticized this promotional stunt.

 


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Harsh Kashiv

Journalism student and truth seeker.