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Scam Involving AI Deepfake Video

A retired woman, aged 57, from Bengaluru, Karnataka, fell victim to a scam that cost her ₹3.75 crore. The fraudsters utilized an artificial intelligence-generated deepfake video featuring preacher Jaggi Vasudev to promote fraudulent investment schemes.

Deepfake technology allows for the manipulation of audio and video, creating realistic portrayals of individuals saying or doing things they never did, often for malicious purposes.

The victim encountered the deepfake video on social media between February 25 and April 23, where Vasudev appeared to endorse a trading platform.

Following the video's guidance, she was contacted by an individual claiming to represent a company named Mirrox. She was subsequently added to a WhatsApp group with approximately 100 members and instructed to download the Mirrox stock trading app.

The scammers employed Zoom tutorials, fake instructors, and forged account statements to persuade her to invest money in trading options.

By April 23, she had transferred ₹3.75 crore in several transactions, with the app showing returns on her investments.

The realization of being scammed struck her only when she was asked to pay additional fees to withdraw her supposed profits.

On Tuesday, she lodged a complaint at the East CEN police station, nearly five months after the incident.

In June, Jaggi Vasudev and his organization, Isha Foundation, sought legal action in the Delhi High Court to combat the misuse of his identity through AI-generated deepfakes.