Fake 'BBC report' shared to claim Anant Ambani endorsed crypto trading platform

What is the claim?

A viral X (formerly Twitter) post features a photo of a supposed BBC News report about Anant Ambani, a director on the Board of Jio Platforms Limited and son of Indian billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani, who is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries.

The claim suggests he is at the 'center of a scandal that has shocked India.' The accompanying text on the thumbnail states, “The whole of India was shocked by yesterday’s events. Anant Ambani says goodbye to ordinary life.”

The linked article appears to be from the BBC News website, attributed to “Jane Wakefield, a business reporter.” The headline reads, “CNBC-TV18 management refuses to comment on the scandal surrounding its interview ‘Vantara (Star of the Forest),’” and it includes a cover image of Ambani and his wife, Radhika Merchant.

The report discusses an interview in which Ambani allegedly speaks about an online investment platform claiming to allow individuals to earn more money with a minimum investment of Rs 26,000. An archived version of this viral post, which has since been deleted, is available here.

Screenshot of the viral claim. (Source: X/Thelaserway/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, our investigation revealed that the article linked in the post was published by a website masquerading as BBC News. Furthermore, no such interview exists, and Ambani has not promoted any investment platform.

What are the facts?

We noted that the website linked in the X post does not have a legitimate BBC URL (“https://www.bbc.com/”), instead displaying “thelaserway.com” in the address bar. 

Screenshot of the website masquerading as BBC News. (Source: Thelaserway/Modified by Logicallyfacts)

Additionally, the BBC logo, top panel, and subtopics on the page are not clickable, unlike those on the authentic BBC website, where such elements link back to the homepage and respective sections. The only functional links on the page lead to a dubious cryptocurrency trading website, “Everix Edge,” which displays a signup form. 

Screenshot of the website of the crypto trading platform linked in the fake BBC article. (Source: Everix Edge/Modified by Logically Facts)

We searched using relevant keywords and found no article published by Jane Wakefield on the BBC News website. Instead, we located a legitimate report credited to Wakefield, titled “How fraudsters are getting fake articles onto Facebook.” 

This report discusses numerous fake articles published under Wakefield’s name, impersonating the BBC. These articles often feature known personalities and promote fabricated online investment platforms.

Moreover, we found no news reports or other evidence indicating that Ambani has endorsed any such investment platform.

These discrepancies confirm that the article about Ambani is fake. The webpage appears to be a setup designed to lure individuals into financial investments by leveraging the credibility of reputable websites and influential figures.

The photos

The fake article's cover image appears on multiple news websites featuring Ambani and Merchant. Other photos used in the article seem to be screenshots taken at timestamps of 1:59 and 0:26 minutes from Ambani's original interview with News18 Network anchor Anand Narasimhan, published on February 26, 2024. 

This interview discusses the animal rescue facility at Vantara, Jamnanagar Zoo (archived here and here). The interview was published on various news YouTube channels, including CNBC TV18 and Money Control. None of the original interview video clips reference any online investment or trading platform.

According to the Everix Edge website, it is an online cryptocurrency trading platform that requires basic personal details, including name, address, email address, and phone number, upon signing up. Providing such information to an unverified financial platform that relies on fake articles to promote itself carries risks of phishing and potential harm.

Posts involving Ambani and alleged revelations or scandals stemming from interviews and fake BBC articles have circulated in the past and have been debunked by various media outlets.

The verdict

The purported BBC article claiming that Anant Ambani disclosed in an interview with a News18 Network anchor that he has used an investment platform to make millions is fake. The webpage masquerades as the BBC News website and falsely uses Ambani to endorse a cryptocurrency trading platform.