Below messages has been circulated on social media with regard to key chain having inbuilt tracking device.

Message sample 1–

Urgent message. Mumbai Airport Urgent alert, please read and circulate.

Information reaching Police formation indicates that: There is a syndicate of criminals selling beautiful key chains at Public Places, Airports, Petrol Stations. They sometimes parade themselves as sales promoters giving out free key chains. Please do not buy or accept these key chains no matter how beautiful they look.
The key chains have inbuilt tracking device chip which allows them to track you to your home or wherever your car is parked. The key holders are very beautiful to resist. Accepting same may endanger your life. All are therefore requested to pass this message to colleagues, family members and loved ones. Be on guard.
Alert everyone.

Thanks & Regards
AIRPORT OPERATIONS CONTROL CENTRE
Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
AOCC TOWER 4th Floor, Terminal 1B, Santacruz (E),
Mumbai 400 099, India
Office : +91 22 26156832 / 26264672 / TV4900 / 4600 / 4400
Efax : +91 22 66851575

Please share this info with all your family members and friends.

Message sample 2–

There is a syndicate of criminals selling beautiful key holders at Public Places, Airports, Petrol Stations. They sometimes parade themselves as sales promoters giving out free key holders. Please do not buy or accept these key holders no matter how beautiful they look.

The key holders have inbuilt tracking device chip which allows them to track you to your home or wherever your car is parked. The key holders are very beautiful to resist. Accepting same may endanger your life. Now even Singapore Woodland, Toa Payoh & Ang Mo Kio kana already. All are therefore requested to pass this message to colleagues, family members and loved ones. Be on guard.

Message sample 3:

"The key holders have inbuilt tracking device chip which allows them to track you to your home or wherever your car is parked. The key holders are very beautiful to resist. Accepting same may endanger your life. Now even Singapore Woodland, Toa Payoh & Ang Mo Kio kana already. All are therefore requested to pass this message to colleagues, family members and loved ones. Be on guard."

Facebook Post:

Our Analysis – The above message states that Police formation indicates that there is a syndicate of Criminals selling beautiful key chains at Public places, Airports and Petrol stations. These people are selling this key chains by representing themselves as sales promoters and giving chains in free to public at these places. These chains look very beautiful and so people tend to take it very easily as gift or promotional item. It is being said that these key chains contain an inbuilt tracking device chip which informs them about your location. So it is being advised not to accept any such key chains.

This might occur at Chandigarh or Mumbai Airport.

It is fake news as no such incidence has been reported by anyone. Such news was initially posted by a blogging site in year 2013 - http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/road-safety-driving-sense/11894-key-rings-bought-fuel-pumps-might-track-your-location.html

And now, it has been verified by several hoax verifier sites:

http://www.hoaxorfact.com/Technology/free-key-holders-given-at-petrol-stations-have-secret-tracking-device-hoax.html

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/key-ring-tracking-hoax.shtml

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/keyring.asp

Conclusion – It is fake news.

About The Author

Chetan Sharma is an Indian fact-checker and news writer, writing news for Ayupp since 2014.

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