A video claims that low-income households in Punjab can register on a provided weblink to receive Rs18,000 in financial aid under a newly launched Punjab government program by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

The claim is false. No such program has been introduced by the Punjab government.

Claim

On March 15, a TikTok video surfaced featuring an alleged Geo News broadcast. The 34-second clip, overlaid with the text “The Rs18,000 free aid program,” appears to show a news anchor announcing that Punjab’s Chief Minister has launched a new Rs18,000 financial assistance program, following an earlier one of Rs10,000.

In the video, the anchor seemingly advises viewers to apply using their mobile phones by searching for “RozeeHub.com” on Google and clicking the first link. The video has garnered nearly 8,000 likes and has been viewed over 200,000 times.

Fact

Geo News has never aired such a report. While the Punjab government has not announced any Rs18,000 assistance program. The website promoted in the TikTok video has no affiliation with the provincial government.

Punjab’s Minister for Information, Azma Zahid Bokhari, confirmed to Geo Fact Check that the information in the video is “fake”.

Muhammad Imran Aslam, the public relations officer for the chief minister, also verified that the website is a scam. He clarified that while the Punjab government has launched a Rs10,000 stipend for low-income households during Ramzan, there is no Rs18,000 scheme as claimed online.

“There is no application process for this [Rs10,000] scheme either,” Aslam stated. “The system does not work in a way where you apply and receive money. Instead, a socio-economic survey is being conducted in Punjab to identify eligible low-income individuals.”

Anees Qureshi, an open-source intelligence analyst at Bytes for All (B4A) in Islamabad, further corroborated this. He explained that the website in question is merely a blog claiming to provide information about government programs.

“Although it does not currently show explicit scam indicators, it could potentially be used for fraudulent activities in the future,” Qureshi warned. “Such websites attract people from social media by offering step-by-step guides for government schemes or asking for personal information. Some even share WhatsApp numbers and demand registration fees. People should rely only on official government websites (.gov.pk) and trusted news sources for accurate information.”

Separately, a Geo News spokesperson confirmed that the alleged news report in the video is fake.

Verdict: There is no Rs18,000 financial aid program in Punjab. While the Punjab government has announced a Rs10,000 cash stipend for low-income households during Ramzan, it does not require any online registration.

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