Aayushi Rana 
The Congress on December 18, launched a nationwide crowdfunding campaign ‘Donate for Desh’ to generate resources for the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Linking to this campaign, a picture of QR code is becoming increasingly viral. On the code, Sonia Gandhi’s image can be seen.
What are users claiming?
Sharing the QR code, the users are writing, “till tomorrow* *Were making fun of Digital India* *same people* *Begging digitally today ..”
Fact Check
We investigated the viral claim. We searched on Google with the help of related keywords. During the process, we found the original image of the QR code on the official Twitter account of Congress. Sharing the original picture on December 28, 2023, the caption reads, “Important Notice Today, on the foundation day of the Indian National Congress, a barcode has been installed on the back of the chairs in the Maharally in Nagpur. By scanning that barcode, you can donate Rs. 138, Rs. 1380, Rs. 13800, Rs. 138000 or more to the Indian National Congress.”
In the original image present in the post, it can be seen that the picture of Congress’s election symbol hand is present on the QR code.
In a news search, we found a YouTube video by the Economic Times. In the video, the picture of that QR code was also used, but Sonia Gandhi’s face was not visible.
Upon examining the widely circulated post, we discovered the presence of the username @memebhaimbbs. Further investigation revealed that this is an account on the X platform dedicated to sharing memes. The viral image in question was posted from this account on December 18, 2023, leading to its dissemination as people began sharing it.
Furthermore, we scanned both QR codes. The authentic code led us to the official Congress website, while the viral code yielded no response upon scanning.
Conclusion
Hence from the fact check, it is evident that the viral QR code is fake. The original one has the Congress party’s symbol in the center.
DFRAC Analysis: Fake
Siddharth Urmil 
