CHENNAI: Fake messages on WhatsApp are as common as pig tracks in wet weather. While most of them are often thought nothing of and some even laughed off for their unintentionally funny content, some messages may just be crossing a line.
A recent message doing the rounds claims that the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Puducherry, offers free heart surgeries for children from the 28th of this month to December 5.
While the institution has categorically denied to Express any such programme, the message goes on to ask people to ‘please share maximum’ so, ‘maximum’ parents of children with heart conditions may allow themselves to hope only to die a little inside when they find out it isn’t true.
To make it more believable, the message also lists three numbers, none of which belong to the hospital. In fact, the first one remains switched off, the second does not exist and the third is a number that will connect but you will not get any response.