MYSURU: While there is enough confusion on the availability of oxygen and the crucial drug Remdesivir, in these times of shortage, fake messages on social media platforms are only adding to the citizens’ ordeal.
Shashank, a B.Sc graduate from Mysuru who was asked by hospital authorities to arrange a vial of Remdesivir injection for his father, sought help from his social media friends. “Within minutes, I got more than 10 responses as friends shared numbers of many individuals and organisations from Mysuru who would help arrange Remdesivir. I tried calling all of them and discovered that they were wrong numbers or just not reachable,” he said.
While social media is flooded with appeals for urgent needs and many are connecting online and getting help, there is a lot of misinformation floating around, with fake forwards, unverified and invalid numbers being shared, claiming they would arrange oxygen and drugs. A few miscreants are tweaking actual posts or replacing contact numbers with random numbers and circulating messages on social media, which is only adding to the distress.
TNIE rang up several numbers mentioned on social media, which claimed to provide oxygen cylinders for Rs 400, besides Remdesivir. The numbers either connected to the wrong people or were not in use. Experts and senior police personnel from the cybercrime unit pointed out that cybercriminals might make the most of the pandemic as there is increased digital user presence and many people depend on messages and numbers circulating on social media, claiming to help Covid patients.
Meanwhile, social media strategists and experts suggest that district administration officials come up with a centralised number and promote this on social media, as it will be of immense help to those in need.