Fact Check: Is FAStag scam real? No, viral video is fake
A video claiming to show a FASTag scam is going viral on social media. The video shows a child cleaning a car window and scanning the FASTag with his smartwatch. The driver of the car claims that these children use the scanners on their smartwatches to siphon money through FASTags.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 26 Jun 2022 10:49 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A video claiming to show a FASTag scam is going viral on social media. The video shows a child cleaning a car window and scanning the FASTag with his smartwatch. The driver of the car claims that these children use the scanners on their smartwatches to siphon money through FASTags.
Click here to view the video on Facebook.
FASTag is an electronic toll collection system operated by the National Highway Authority of India. It allows drivers to pay toll charges directly from their prepaid or savings account.
Fact Check
The claim is false.
NewsMeter performed a keyword search and found the same video posted on a Facebook page on 24 June 2022. We checked the page and noticed that the bio read, "We Enjoy Entertaining!" The page is listed as a "video creator." Other videos on the page showed the same duo (seen in the viral FAStag video) play different roles, proving that they are actors. (Click here and here to see their videos)
PayTm and FASTag had also debunked the claim and said the viral video is fake.
Rahul Sasi, the CEO of CloudSEK, a cybersecurity company, also shared the video and said, "A FASTag is not something a kid with a smartwatch can hack. Only authorised merchants would be able to make a payment request."
Hence, the claim that smartwatches can be used to siphon money through FASTags is false.
