Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
₹500 notes marked with star (*) symbol are fake and are in circulation.
We received this claim on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), requesting us to fact-check it.
Fact
Newschecker ran a keyword search for “₹500 * symbol fake”, which led us to multiple news reports, seen here and here, dated July 31, 2023, about RBI confirming that a ₹500 banknote with a star (*) symbol is identical to any other legal banknote and that it is genuine.
The news reports led us to RBI’s clarification on the star series banknotes, dated July 27, 2023, which stated, “…it is informed that the Star (*) symbol is inserted in the number panel of a banknote that is used as replacement for defectively printed banknotes in a packet of 100 pieces of serially numbered banknotes. A banknote with a Star (*) symbol is identical to any other legal banknote, except that in the number panel a Star (*) symbol is added between the prefix and the serial number. The Star (*) symbol is an identifier that it is a replaced / reprinted banknote.”
We also came across PIB Fact Check’s tweet, dated December 7, 2023, reiterating that the viral claims are false.
Also Read: Old Video Of Residents Enjoying In Flood-Hit Kanyakumari Shared As Chennai
Result: False
Source
HT report, July 31, 2023
Business Today report, July 27, 2023
RBI statement, July 27, 2023
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
