Fact Check: Viral message of raising money by forwarding WhatsApp messages for 'blind' girl is false
An image of a young girl has gone viral with the claim that the girl is blind and needs help for an eye operation.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 19 Jun 2021 1:55 PM GMT
Hyderabad: An image of a young girl has gone viral with the claim that the girl is blind and needs help for an eye operation. Netizens claim every time this WhatsApp message is forwarded Rs 1 would be credited to her account which will be used for her operation.
The message upon translation from Hindi reads, "Look how beautiful this girl is, just like a doll but there is no light in her eyes. We do not have to pay money but we have to help by forwarding more and more messages on WhatsApp. For every message, Rs 1 goes into her account. Money will keep accumulating and with that, her eyes will be operated. If there is a connection to the one above, then this beautiful doll will be able to see the world."
Fact Check
The claim that the girl in the viral image is blind and forwarding of the WhatsApp message would help collect money for her operation is false.
NewsMeter performed a reverse image search and found the Instagram profile of the girl.
She is identified as Mahdis Mohammadi who is from Iran. According to Good Times, Mahdis is an Instagram star. She has more than 1,70,000 followers on Instagram and this account is active. Several photos and videos posted by the account indicate that the girl can see clearly. The viral image was posted on Mahdis's account on 9 September 2016.
We also found a video of Mahdis posted in November 2019 where Mahdis is playing, dancing and posing in front of a camera. This clearly shows that the girl can see.
Apart from this, this message has been circulating on the internet since 2017 and has been debunked by several websites. All reports state that the claim of the girl being false are false.
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Further, it should be noted that no money will be generated by forwarding WhatsApp messages. This is simply not possible. This will in no way help anyone receive money into their bank accounts.
Hence, the claim of the girl being unable to see and forwarding a WhatsApp message would help in her operation payment is false.
