Bengaluru Retiree Loses Rs 6.88 Lakh After Trusting Fake Nirmala Sitharaman Deepfake Video

A 66 year old retired man from Bengaluru has lost Rs 6.88 lakh after falling victim to a cyber fraud involving a deepfake video of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The scammers reportedly used artificial intelligence generated content to make it appear that she was promoting a fake investment scheme linked to the government and State Bank of India.

The incident came to light after the resident of Narayanapura approached the Northeast Cyber Crime Police Station and filed a complaint. According to the complaint, the victim saw a video on Facebook where Nirmala Sitharaman appeared to announce a government backed investment opportunity that promised high returns within a short period.

Believing the video to be genuine, the man clicked on the link provided with the advertisement and shared details related to KYC verification. Soon after, he received a WhatsApp call from a number with a United Kingdom country code. The caller allegedly convinced him that instead of investing Rs 22,000, he could receive much higher returns by putting in more money.

The fraudsters claimed that an investment of more than Rs 6 lakh would generate a return of Rs 15 lakh within just 10 days. Trusting the offer because it appeared to be connected with a government scheme, the victim transferred a total of Rs 6.88 lakh to different bank accounts between March and June.

However, when the promised amount was not received, the man realised that he had been cheated. He then contacted the cyber crime authorities, who have registered a case and started an investigation into the incident.

Cyber security experts have warned that cases involving deepfake videos are increasing rapidly. Fraudsters are using artificial intelligence tools to recreate the faces and voices of politicians, celebrities, and other well known personalities to make fake messages look authentic.

Experts have advised people to be extremely careful about investment advertisements appearing on social media platforms, especially those claiming to be connected with government departments or banks. Users should verify such offers only through official websites and avoid clicking on suspicious links or sharing personal banking information with unknown sources.

With deepfake technology becoming more advanced, authorities are urging citizens to check the authenticity of online financial offers before making any investment decisions.