A message doing the rounds on WhatsApp this Diwali says the Prime Minister has approved an Rs 8,000 cash bonus for every citizen and asks you to tap a link to claim it. The claim is false. The Press Information Bureau's fact-checking unit has said so, and cyber police in two cities have warned that the link is a trap.

The claim

The forwarded message says eligible citizens can get Rs 8,000 as a Diwali benefit from the Prime Minister and gives a link to register or claim the money. It is being shared on WhatsApp and other social platforms, according to BusinessToday and The420.in.

The verdict: fake

PIB Fact Check flagged the message on 2 November 2026 and said the government has not announced any such Diwali benefit, as reported by BusinessToday and Outlook Money. It called the website in the message fake. We found no scheme, notification or press release announcing an Rs 8,000 payment on official government channels.

The Cyber Crimes Unit in Hyderabad described the message as a phishing scam, and the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau issued a similar caution, according to BusinessToday. The420.in, in a report updated on 8 November, adds that Pimpri-Chinchwad cyber police have also warned citizens and that police in Ludhiana have warned about similar Diwali cash-benefit claims. Its report quotes Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohidas Pawar urging people not to pay anything to claim the purported benefit.

How the scam works

According to the police warnings reported by Outlook Money and The420.in, the fake site can do several things:

  • collect personal and banking details, including card numbers, Aadhaar and PAN, and login credentials;
  • ask for an OTP or UPI PIN;
  • demand a "processing fee" to release the money;
  • trick you into approving a UPI payment request; or
  • push you to install a harmful app on your phone.

Any one of these can empty a bank account. Scammers like festivals because people expect gifts, bonuses and offers, and a forward that comes from a relative looks more trustworthy than it is.

How to check a claim like this

  • Government schemes are announced on official websites and verified handles, not through WhatsApp links. Search for the scheme on the relevant ministry site.
  • A genuine benefit never needs you to pay a fee first.
  • Nobody legitimate needs your OTP, UPI PIN or CVV.
  • You can send a suspicious message about a central government scheme to PIB Fact Check on its official WhatsApp tipline or by email at factcheck@pib.gov.in.

If you already clicked

Do not enter any details. If you did, or if you approved a payment request, call your bank at once to block cards and UPI, and then call the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. Reporting quickly improves the chance that a transaction can be frozen.

Do not forward the message to family groups, even to warn them with the link included. Share a screenshot with the link hidden, or describe the scam in your own words.

Why this keeps coming back

This is the second Diwali-season hoax we have fact-checked in a week. On 8 November we published a fact check of a fake RBI circular about a shortage of Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50 notes. Both rely on the same pattern: an official-sounding name, a reference number or a prime minister's photograph, and urgency during a festival.