Imposter govt website targets Pakistan online users with free laptop offer

Published on March 13, 2025 at 07:58
2 min read
By Masroor GILANI, AFP Pakistan

A government programme that provides free laptops for Pakistan's top students is on pause as of March 13, 2025 contrary to false information circulating on social media. Posts that share a purported sign-up page for the scheme lead to an imposter website.

"Breaking news! PMYP (Prime Minister's Youth Programme) has started accepting applications for the 2025 laptop scheme," reads a Urdu-language Facebook post on January 1. It urges online users to register through a link that asks for their names, age range and education level.

The post also includes a picture of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif next to students holding laptops, with a text overlay that reads: "Prime Minister's Youth Laptop Scheme 2025. Bringing yet another 100,000 laptops."

Screenshot taken on March 4, 2025 of the false Facebook post

Pakistan's Geo TV news media earlier debunked similar claims that also surfaced elsewhere on Facebook and on X (archived link).

Sharif announced the scheme in February 2023 that would provide laptops to 100,000 top performing students, the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan reported (archived link).

But it is currently not accepting applications, Junaid Cheema, digital media executive at the Prime Minister's Youth Programme, told AFP on March 11. The next phase is "likely to begin after a few weeks," he said.

The official site for the programme indicates it is not taking in new applications as of March 13, 2025.

Screenshot comparison of the fake registration page (left) and the Pakistani government website (right)

Moreover, the genuine page for Pakistan's youth programme uses the "gov.pk" domain. But the link in the false posts is hosted on a URL that ends in .xyz (archived link).

AFP has repeatedly debunked false posts spreading bogus government handouts.

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