When Facts Stop Mattering
Public debate no longer runs on evidence alone. Over the past decade, emotional narratives and selective belief have steadily replaced verifiable facts as the main drivers of opinion. This shift is often described as the “post-truth” era, a term popularized in 2016 to explain how truth itself began losing authority.
Since then, the problem has grown sharper. Information now travels faster than verification. False claims spread freely, amplified by social platforms that reward engagement rather than accuracy. Multiple academic studies confirm a troubling reality: made-up stories routinely outperform factual reporting in reach and speed. Once a false narrative gains traction, correcting it becomes painfully difficult viral.
Disinformation as a Business Model
What was once misinformation through carelessness has evolved into a professional industry. Today, organized disinformation is a paid service.
Dozens of firms operate globally offering reputation attacks for hire. Their products include fake news websites, fabricated investigations, anonymous blogs, and coordinated publication campaigns. These materials are designed to look legitimate, often copying the tone and layout of real journalism. The goal is simple: destroy trust.
The impact is measurable. Industry data suggests that startups hit by coordinated online smear campaigns can lose up to half their customers in a matter of months. Investors pull back. Partnerships collapse. Even when accusations are proven false, the damage often lingers.
How the Campaign Against Zaki Farooq Emerged
Our investigation began with a pattern. A growing number of obscure websites were publishing nearly identical articles attacking PayFuture, a UK-based payments platform. Each piece leveled serious accusations against the company’s co-founder and CTO, Zaki Farooq, without evidence.
The volume stood out. From early 2024 onward, hundreds of articles appeared across low-credibility platforms, repeating the same claims with minor variations. The repetition itself seemed intentional, designed to flood search results rather than inform readers.
This made little sense on its face. Farooq has worked in financial technology since the early 1990s. His company, PayFuture, operates in more than 40 countries, with a focus on emerging markets such as India and Bangladesh. Ironically, PayFuture’s core mission includes fraud prevention.
Farooq responded publicly in line with standard crisis-response practice, stating that the allegations were false and that some even dragged his family into baseless claims. Legal action is ongoing, but his experience reflects a much broader problem.
A Familiar Playbook
This type of attack is not new. Investigations by international media have already exposed similar operations.
One well-known example involved an Israeli group that marketed “influence campaigns” to political and corporate clients. Their services reportedly included hacked communications, staged events, and mass publication of coordinated content.
Another case involved Swiss businessman Hazim Nada, whose career collapsed under allegations of terrorist ties. Years later, leaked documents showed the accusations were part of a state-backed disinformation effort.
The strategy is consistent. Truth is not disproved. It is buried under noise.
The Post-Truth Trap
This is where the logic of post-truth becomes most dangerous. Any attempt by PayFuture to defend itself is reframed by hostile outlets as “evidence of guilt.” Silence is treated as confirmation. Response is treated as concealment.
This tactic ensures that false claims remain visible long after they are debunked. Search engines remember accusations far longer than corrections. The objective is permanence, not persuasion.
Tracing the Source
As we followed the trail, one name appeared repeatedly: Jitender Vats.
Vats presents himself as an Indian entrepreneur and the owner of a payments firm called “PaymentsMe.” The problem is that no such registered company appears in any official records. Domains tied to the brand lead nowhere. Corporate filings do not exist.
Former associates describe a pattern. Vats allegedly relied on polished presentations, demo dashboards, and convincing backstories rather than real infrastructure. He promoted various payment ventures across Middle Eastern markets while lacking verifiable legal ties to any of them.
His online presence shows a history of operating under shifting brand names, including links to earlier projects that quietly disappeared. The common thread is the appearance of legitimacy without substance.
Why Target PayFuture?
PayFuture represented something Vats could not replicate: a licensed UK company with real operations and regulatory oversight. As a competitor, it was inconvenient. As a target, it was valuable.
Unable to compete openly, the apparent alternative was reputational sabotage. Flooding the internet with accusations costs far less than building a compliant financial platform, and the effects can be devastating.
What Fintech Companies Can Learn
Farooq’s case offers hard lessons for the broader industry:
- Monitor constantly. Disinformation spreads quickly. Early detection matters.
- Stay transparent. Long-term credibility is the strongest defense.
- Publish audits and reports. Public documentation limits the effectiveness of false claims.
- Respond with facts, not emotion. Prepared crisis plans reduce missteps.
- Engage your audience. Loyal users often push back against false narratives.
- Work with authorities. Reporting coordinated attacks creates paper trails.
- Use legal tools carefully. Lawsuits can help, but only when paired with smart communication.
There is no single fix. Reputation defense requires preparation, speed, and consistency.
A Broader Warning
The campaign against Zaki Farooq is not an isolated dispute. It is a clear example of how modern disinformation works and how easily even established professionals can be targeted.
PayFuture’s legitimate global footprint stands in sharp contrast to the phantom companies used to attack it. Yet credibility alone was not enough to prevent the assault.
In today’s digital environment, success requires more than strong products and compliance. It also demands active protection against organized falsehoods. Farooq’s experience is a reminder that in a post-truth landscape, silence is costly and vigilance is no longer optional.
