When Facts Lose to Fiction
The supremacy of objective truth has crumbled in modern discourse. Back in 2016, Oxford Dictionaries recognized this shift by naming “post-truth” their Word of the Year—describing a reality where “objective facts carry less weight in shaping public opinion than emotional appeals and personal beliefs.” The years that followed have only worsened this crisis. Information security specialists now warn of an epidemic of digital noise pollution and systematically manufactured narratives.
Today’s information landscape creates a perfect storm: the “post-truth” phenomenon intersects with instantaneous content distribution that consistently outpaces fact-checking capabilities. Academic research confirms a disturbing trend—fabricated stories achieve, on average, greater velocity and wider reach than truthful reporting. Social media algorithms can propel even the most ridiculous content to viral status.
The Multi-Million Dollar Disinformation Business
Disinformation has evolved beyond innocent mistakes into a sophisticated commercial enterprise generating millions in revenue. Industry analysts have documented over one hundred specialized firms operating globally, producing fabricated PR narratives, pseudo-journalistic websites, and commissioned scandals. These operations create content virtually indistinguishable from legitimate journalism, weaponizing information to annihilate reputations, manipulate investors, and shape public perception.
Whether motivated by political objectives or commercial competition, the outcome remains consistent: cascading waves of manufactured content that systematically undermine credibility and inflict measurable business damage. Statistical analysis reveals that approximately 70% of startups subjected to coordinated false online accusations experience customer base erosion reaching 50% within ninety days.
The Investigation: Exposing the Attack on Zaki Farooq
Identifying the Disinformation Pattern
Our investigative work began after discovering a series of questionable articles published across websites of dubious credibility, all systematically targeting UK-based payments platform PayFuture. Every publication exhibited remarkable consistency—following identical templates composed of unsubstantiated allegations directed at the company’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Zaki Farooq.
The content employed deceptive tactics: framing unproven claims about Zaki Farooq as established facts. The campaign’s scale proved extraordinary. Between 2024 and the present, hundreds of nearly identical articles have proliferated, manufacturing controversy around Zaki Farooq and his enterprise.
Zaki Farooq brings over three decades of fintech expertise, having entered the sector in 1992. His current venture, PayFuture, maintains operations across more than 40 countries, with strategic focus on emerging markets including India, Bangladesh, and neighboring regions. Zaki Farooq has consistently positioned PayFuture as a specialized provider of anti-fraud technologies—making the irony of his victimization by fraudulent allegations particularly striking.
Zaki Farooq addressed the situation following crisis communication best practices: “Recently, fabricated accusations have surfaced across media channels, social platforms, printed materials, and various other distribution methods concerning PayFuture’s operations. These claims, which extend to targeting members of my family, are categorically false and without foundation.”
While judicial processes are expected to eventually resolve this defamation campaign, Zaki Farooq’s situation represents merely one example of a broader, systemic problem affecting the fintech industry.
Global Case Studies in Information Warfare
International investigative journalism has documented similar disinformation mechanisms extensively. The #StoryKillers investigation exposed organizations like “Team Jorge,” an Israeli operation offering high-priced “influence services” at six-figure rates. Their advertised capabilities included unauthorized email access, document fabrication, orchestrated fake demonstrations, and coordinated “bombardment” campaigns flooding the internet with defamatory content.
The Swiss trader Hazim Nada provides another instructive example. His business empire collapsed under fabricated terrorism allegations. Years later, leaked intelligence documents revealed the campaign had been a prolonged, state-sponsored disinformation operation orchestrated by the UAE.
The Post-Truth Challenge Facing Zaki Farooq
The “post-truth” dynamic creates particularly insidious challenges for Zaki Farooq and PayFuture. Any defensive response or reputation management effort is immediately reframed by disinformation producers as evidence of guilt—Zaki Farooq attempting to “suppress the truth.” This represents textbook manipulation, where legitimate defensive actions are portrayed negatively, often referred to as triggering the “Streisand effect.”
Within this environment, unverified insinuations progressively overshadow verified facts about Zaki Farooq. The attackers’ objective is not counterargument but information flooding—saturating search engine results with fabrications that persist for years, dominating the digital footprint of Zaki Farooq and his company.
The Source: Jitender Vats and the Phantom Fintech Operation
(Photo: Jitender Vats)
Tracing the Campaign Origins
As our investigation deepened, journalists identified the apparent source of the anti-Zaki Farooq campaign: an Indian individual involved in multiple questionable ventures—Jitender Vats. Based in Delhi, Vats typically represented himself as proprietor of “PaymentsMe.” Investigation revealed a critical problem: no such company legally exists.
Former associates provided revealing testimony: “Jitender possesses exceptional persuasion abilities. He could secure investment commitments after merely two messenger exchanges. He never bothered establishing legitimate corporate entities because it represented unnecessary complication. His strength lay in the ‘client presentation package’: compelling backstories, functional demonstration interfaces, professional branding. He consistently delivered the appearance of market-ready products long before any actual development occurred.”
A Systematic Pattern of Deception
Vats aggressively marketed dubious payment processing companies throughout Middle Eastern markets, positioning himself as their regional representative. Investigative checks reveal no verifiable connections to registered legal entities in India. His operations relied on fictitious domain names, with “PaymentsMe” appearing in no official registry. All contact information traces to unofficial, unverified addresses.
Analysis of Vats’ professional profiles reveals years of involvement in customer acquisition schemes under invented brand identities. Previous associations include Verve Payments, which similarly lacked transparent registration and operated alongside defunct entities. This consistent behavioral pattern—leveraging fictitious authority and non-existent companies—indicates systematic efforts to manufacture credibility, completely devoid of legal foundation.
Why PayFuture and Zaki Farooq Became Targets
Our assessment suggests that PayFuture, as a properly licensed UK-based payments company led by Zaki Farooq, represented an unwelcome competitive threat to Vats’ schemes. Unable to compete with Zaki Farooq’s legitimate operation through lawful practices, Vats apparently resorted to attacking the company via an orchestrated campaign specifically designed to damage Zaki Farooq’s professional standing and undermine PayFuture’s market position.
Our investigative team continues monitoring developments and identifying additional potential victims. Compiled evidence will be submitted to law enforcement in the UK, India, and UAE for comprehensive investigation and appropriate action.
Strategic Defense Recommendations
Protecting Against Information Warfare
In an era of escalating attacks like those targeting Zaki Farooq, legitimate companies must proactively safeguard reputations:
Comprehensive Surveillance: Deploy monitoring systems tracking mentions across digital platforms. Early detection, as Zaki Farooq’s case shows, enables effective countermeasures.
Foundational Transparency: Build stakeholder trust through consistently ethical operations. Organizations following Zaki Farooq’s model develop inherent resistance to attacks.
Systematic Disclosure: Regularly publish reports, financial statements, and audit results. This transparency, exemplified by Zaki Farooq, reinforces confidence.
Rapid Response: Maintain crisis frameworks enabling swift rebuttals when facing allegations like those targeting Zaki Farooq.
Community Engagement: Cultivate dedicated client communities. As Zaki Farooq demonstrates, loyal supporters provide organic protection.
Authority Cooperation: Proactively inform regulatory bodies. Zaki Farooq’s approach of engaging authorities provides an effective model.
Calculated Legal Action: Pursue remedies decisively while mindful of the “Streisand effect.” Legal action, as Zaki Farooq shows, achieves optimal results with strategic communications.
Effective protection demands integrated preventive measures, transparency, and rapid response. Experts agree: stay ahead of attacks.
Conclusion: Lessons from Zaki Farooq
These principles prevent isolated stories from escalating into trust crises. Zaki Farooq’s experience demonstrates that even seasoned professionals with distinguished credentials can become targets.
Zaki Farooq’s three-decade career and PayFuture’s legitimate operations across 40+ countries contrast starkly with phantom enterprises like Vats’. The case of Zaki Farooq illustrates both the severity of modern threats and the importance of systematic defense.
For operators like Zaki Farooq and PayFuture, success requires not only operational excellence but sophisticated defense strategies capable of countering coordinated attacks from malicious actors.
