<p>How does one get a free Netflix subscription, free job connections and free goodies by dialling just one number? You probably could, if that number was 8866288662! But the smart ones knew it was a bait to get a missed call that would register your 'support' for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act! <br /><br />Stung by widespread protests against the controversial Act, the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had worked out the counter strategy by asking people: Register support for the CAA by giving a missed call to 8866288662. But it backfired on social media.<br /><br />The brains behind the campaign felt 'Support CAA' was not such a great idea to inspire netizens to dial a number. So, they apparently unleashed a mindboggling range of goodies from free streaming videos to free job connections. Some tweets even linked the number to phone sex operators.<br /><br />Then came the real pranksters, the trolls, the influencers in droves. Call the number and await delivery of a free Apple TV, said one. “Sunny Leone will be live for the next two hours. Speak to her on 8866288662,” claimed another, tongue firmly in cheek.<br /><br />But the sports buffs were not ready to say 'game over.' Stepped in one with this salvo: “Those who want Virat Kohli to be nominated as the best cricketer of the year, dial...” Hooked to politics, another tweet followed fast: “If you want UP CM to resign, dial....”<br /><br />The same number repeating on multiple click-baits was too much of a coincidence. When many refused to be hoodwinked and cornered the Twitter accounts behind the baits, they tried an alibi. The associations were just a 'prank,' they claimed, although not many bought it.<br /><br />As the number gained traction, so did the Memes that came in truckloads, flooding every social media platform. Many found a connection between the Twitter accounts promoting the number and the BJP IT Cell. They called it a desperate measure in desperate times.<br /><br />But streaming giant Netflix had to clarify quickly. It had absolutely no intention to offer free six-month subscriptions just because someone would dial the number. Its tweet read: “This is absolutely fake. If you want free Netflix please use someone else's account like the rest of us.”<br /><br />By Saturday evening, the anti-CAA protesters had a counter to the missed call campaign. WeThePeople, a collective of about 100 organisations trending hashtags NoToCAA, NoToNPR, NoToNationawideNRC had their own number for a missed call: 7787060606.</p>
<p>How does one get a free Netflix subscription, free job connections and free goodies by dialling just one number? You probably could, if that number was 8866288662! But the smart ones knew it was a bait to get a missed call that would register your 'support' for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act! <br /><br />Stung by widespread protests against the controversial Act, the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had worked out the counter strategy by asking people: Register support for the CAA by giving a missed call to 8866288662. But it backfired on social media.<br /><br />The brains behind the campaign felt 'Support CAA' was not such a great idea to inspire netizens to dial a number. So, they apparently unleashed a mindboggling range of goodies from free streaming videos to free job connections. Some tweets even linked the number to phone sex operators.<br /><br />Then came the real pranksters, the trolls, the influencers in droves. Call the number and await delivery of a free Apple TV, said one. “Sunny Leone will be live for the next two hours. Speak to her on 8866288662,” claimed another, tongue firmly in cheek.<br /><br />But the sports buffs were not ready to say 'game over.' Stepped in one with this salvo: “Those who want Virat Kohli to be nominated as the best cricketer of the year, dial...” Hooked to politics, another tweet followed fast: “If you want UP CM to resign, dial....”<br /><br />The same number repeating on multiple click-baits was too much of a coincidence. When many refused to be hoodwinked and cornered the Twitter accounts behind the baits, they tried an alibi. The associations were just a 'prank,' they claimed, although not many bought it.<br /><br />As the number gained traction, so did the Memes that came in truckloads, flooding every social media platform. Many found a connection between the Twitter accounts promoting the number and the BJP IT Cell. They called it a desperate measure in desperate times.<br /><br />But streaming giant Netflix had to clarify quickly. It had absolutely no intention to offer free six-month subscriptions just because someone would dial the number. Its tweet read: “This is absolutely fake. If you want free Netflix please use someone else's account like the rest of us.”<br /><br />By Saturday evening, the anti-CAA protesters had a counter to the missed call campaign. WeThePeople, a collective of about 100 organisations trending hashtags NoToCAA, NoToNPR, NoToNationawideNRC had their own number for a missed call: 7787060606.</p>