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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Economy & business fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about economy & business. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

7,093 published reviews in this topic

Factcrescendo Sri LankaEconomy & business

Commercial Bank Give Cash Gifts For Its 53rd Anniversary!

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerned viral messages saying Commercial Bank of Sri Lanka was offering cash gifts for its 53rd anniversary through a questionnaire and a “National Government Subsidy program.” The investigation says the messages circulated especially on messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, and that its review was prompted by public interest in the claim. To check the promotion, the investigators looked for social forwards about the anniversary gifts and found several links leading to the same website. They describe a sequence in which users were directed through multiple steps, ending with a request to share the link with other people—a pattern the review says was used by similar scams. The excerpt does not give the website address or document an independent test of the questionnaire. The decisive evidence reported is Commercial Bank’s warning to customers. According to the review, the bank said that any communication about cash gifts would be made through its official channels, not fraudulent websites, and advised people not to provide sensitive information. The review concluded that the WhatsApp forward was fraudulent, not an actual bank promotion.

Factcrescendo Sri LankaEconomy & business

The Central Bank Of SL Release Rs.1000 Coins For Public Circulation !!

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The claim concerned social-media posts presenting a Rs.1,000 coin as evidence that Sri Lanka had put high-value coins into everyday circulation. The review says it investigated both the claim and the image being shared, and found that the Central Bank did issue a Rs.1,000 coin in February 2023—but as a commemorative issue for the country’s 75th Independence Day, not as a coin for daily transactions. The image therefore showed a real coin, but the posts’ suggestion that it was released for public circulation gave it a misleading meaning. The review describes the coin as a Frosted Proof, Un-Circulation Standard Commemorative Coin and states that it “cannot be used for public circulation.” It reports that the Central Bank issued a limited 2,500 pieces and that the coins were available as souvenirs for Rs.6,000 each from the Museum of Economics on Chatham Street. These details distinguish the commemorative coin’s face value from its intended use and sale. The review also notes that the Central Bank had issued high-denomination commemorative coins on earlier occasions, including Rs.1,000 coins, and distinguishes uncirculated commemorative issues from coins intended for circulation. Its conclusion is specific: the pictured Rs.1,000 coin was an authentic commemorative issue, but it was not released for general public use.

El Detector / Univision NoticiasEconomy & business

“Ningún banco colapsó bajo la administración de Donald Trump”,

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim examined was that no bank collapsed in the United States while Donald Trump was president. The review places the claim in the context of social-media posts circulated after California closed Silicon Valley Bank in March 2023. It says one post making the claim was shared on March 12, two days after that closure, and describes another post repeating the assertion.

YouturnEconomy & business

இந்தியாவின் காங்கிரஸ், திரிணாமுல் காங்கிரஸ், மாயாவதி கட்சி, திமுக ஸ்டாலின் போன்றோர் வெளிநாட்டில் பதுக்கி வைத்துள்ள கருப்பு பணத்தின் மதிப்பு சூமார் 5 லட்சம் கோடி. மோடியின் பணமதிப்பிழப்பு நடவடிக்கையால் அந்த பணம் அனைத்தும் செல்லாக்காசாகி விட்டது. ஆதாரத்துடன் விக்கி லீக்ஸ் நிறுவனர் ஜுலியன் அசாங்கே.

Publisher’s rating: Fake

dpaEconomy & business

Des boîtes de Lego vendues à seulement 3 euros.

Publisher’s rating: Ces boîtes de Lego ne sont pas en vente au prix de 3 euros. Il s’agit d’une arnaque. L’enseigne n’est en rien liée à ce post. Plusieurs éléments de cette publication permettent de déceler l’escroquerie.

The claim concerned a Facebook post by a page called “Jeu de construction éducatif,” which said that Lego was offering the Millennium Falcon, a large Star Wars set, for €3. The post was dated 13 March 2023 and presented the offer as a promotion for Lego’s 90th anniversary. The review found no indication that Lego was involved in the offer. The review describes several reasons to doubt the page’s authenticity: it had only 12 posts, all published on 13 March, shortly before the offer appeared, and its “About” section provided very little information about who ran it. The article also compared the advertised price with Lego’s official website, where it said the Millennium Falcon was listed at €849.99. That large gap supports the conclusion that the €3 offer was not a genuine Lego sale. The article reports that Lego’s press office had not yet responded to dpa’s questions when the review was written. It also notes that Lego’s official site warns customers about fraudulent advertisements and advises checking a site’s details and being wary of exceptionally low prices. The evidence presented therefore points to an unaffiliated, suspicious post rather than a legitimate Lego offer.

Factcrescendo Sri LankaEconomy & business

KFC Have A Free Refill Policy For Chicken Buckets !!

Publisher’s rating: False

The review examines a viral TikTok video in which a customer appeared to receive eight additional chicken pieces after finishing an eight-piece bucket. The video’s creator said a refill could be requested within 60 minutes of purchase using a receipt, but only before leaving the restaurant. The review says the video had more than 22 million views and that the claim prompted others to try asking for refills. [S1: “A widely shared video on TikTok featured a user ordering an 8-piece chicken bucket. After finishing it, the user asked a staff member if he could get a free refill.”] [S1: “In the video, the TikTok creator claimed that the policy applies 60 minutes after purchase and can be requested with a receipt, and the policy is no longer valid once the customer leaves the restaurant.”] The fact-check describes checking other videos showing people asking KFC staff about the supposed policy; those customers were told their restaurants did not have it. It also reports that KFC addressed the rumor on its official social accounts and that a company spokesperson told Today.com the refill claim was a hoax. These checks directly address whether the apparent offer in the viral video represented an actual KFC policy. [S1: “We found that some TikTok users have shared clips of themselves going to KFC and asking for the refill policy. Unfortunately, they were told that the restaurants did not have that policy.”] [S1: “According to a spokesperson from KFC, the ‘KFC Refill Hack’ is definitely a hoax. They clarified that ‘We love the widespread enthusiasm for our buckets, but to clarify our policy, KFC does not offer free refills,’ according to Today.com.”] The review’s conclusion is that KFC does not offer free chicken-bucket refills. It distinguishes the rumor from a real offer mentioned in KFC’s response: a $10 bucket deal in the company’s app. Thus the video’s apparent free refill and its stated conditions are not presented as an established policy; the review reports KFC’s denial and customers’ unsuccessful attempts to use it. [S1: “The bad news: the free bucket refill rumor is a lie.The good news: we have a special offer for $10 buckets in our app.”] [S1: “In summary, the claim circulating on social media about KFC’s free-refill policy is not true. Despite a viral TikTok video suggesting customers could refill their chicken buckets for free, KFC has confirmed that they do not offer such a policy.”]