Nirmala Sitharaman's Fake AI Video Used in Rs 22,000 Scam

Cyber fraudsters are using artificial intelligence (AI) to circulate fake videos of top leaders and business heads to lure people into investment scams. A video, made to look like Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is being circulated as paid content on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. It promises that a Rs 22,000 investment would turn people into “lakhpatis,” with claims of daily returns of Rs 64,000 and up to ₹10 lakh a month. The ads also falsely suggest that the scheme has State Bank of India’s approval.

The scam has been running for nearly 10 months. Thousands of people across the country have fallen prey, each paying Rs 22,000 after believing that the finance minister herself endorsed the scheme. Similar AI-generated videos are circulating in the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murthy, and former Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das.

In one such video, Modi is made to appear as if announcing Rs 3,500 monthly unemployment benefits in return for a ₹1,000 registration fee. Another video in Ambani’s name claims Reliance is launching a multicrore online project and invites public investment. Cybercriminals have also misused Narayana Murthy’s identity, urging people to invest in “Quantum AI” stock trading with promises of Rs 2.5 lakh daily income. Many have lost money in these scams.

Who can stop the fraud?

Police cases have been registered, but officials say their role ends with investigation and recovering money from accused persons, if traceable. Experts point out that only the Union ministry of electronics and information technology has the legal authority to curb such scams under the Information Technology (Amendment) Act. Despite lakhs of victims nationwide, victims and cyber experts allege that the ministry has done little beyond issuing advisories through the Press Information Bureau.