Zimbabwe | Fat Wallet Refugee

This article was sourced and written using an AI tool. Human contributions include my anger, indignation, rage, and grudge–holding demeanor. Enjoy!

It’s back. This scam will just not die.

I was recently contacted by an older relative who had seen the news and was excited about the technology.

I had to explain, with some difficulty, that it was a scam. Although this particular hoax has been debunked by several news outlets globally, it continues to get traction on social media.

One source in particular continues to peddle this financial scam. The YouTube channel Zim Tech Guy (@ZimTechGuy) has continually released videos reiterating the false claims.

Fake news sites created with AI-generated articles are also used to claim that the invention is recent, but these are tied to videos created using footage from the original 2015 scam.

As other channels and news outlets pick up the story, it adds a sense of credibility to the hoax. Fooling unsuspecting individuals and stealing their money through pre-orders or investments.

News sites that do not fact-check or complete any due diligence are failing in their responsibility to journalistic integrity. They are in part responsible for the harm done to victims.

We must do right by the victims of financial scams by holding these news outlets accountable for their wrongdoing.

Google’s Gemini AI sums it up quite succinctly:

A “Zimbabwe self-charging car scam” refers to claims circulating online about a car invented in Zimbabwe that supposedly runs without fuel or electricity, charging itself through ambient radio frequencies; this is widely considered a hoax, with no credible scientific evidence to support such a technology, and experts dismissing it as a scam. [1, 2, 3]

Key points about the “scam”: [1, 2]

The inventor: Most often, the inventor is named as Maxwell Chikumbutso in these claims. [1, 2]
How it supposedly works: The car is said to harness energy from radio waves in the air, effectively powering itself without needing any external energy source. [1, 2, 3]
Why it’s considered a scam: Current scientific understanding does not support the possibility of a vehicle operating solely on ambient radio waves. [1, 2, 3]
Fact-checks: Several fact-checking organizations have debunked these claims, highlighting the lack of scientific basis and evidence for a “self-charging car”. [1, 2, 3]