Bengaluru residents scammed of Rs 83 lakh using deepfake videos of Murthy, Ambani

Two Bengaluru residents lost a combined Rs 83 lakh in online stock trading scams that used deepfake videos of Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy and Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani. The videos, circulated on social media, misled victims into investing in fraudulent schemes with promises of high returns, officials reported on Monday.

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In one case, Banashankari resident Veena KG, 57, initially invested Rs 1.4 lakh after seeing a Facebook deepfake of Murthy, receiving a small profit to build trust. Drawn in by further promises, she later paid Rs 57.2 lakh in additional funds through an Instagram work-from-home scheme, but only received Rs 55,997 before realizing the scam.

In a similar incident, retired Anekal resident Asok Kumar TS lost Rs 19 lakh after engaging with Facebook posts using deepfakes of Murthy and Ambani. He transferred funds after being promised returns but ultimately received nothing back.

Police, who have registered cases with the South CEN (Cyber Economic and Narcotics) police station, warn the public to be cautious of deepfake videos featuring prominent figures on social media. An official suggested that fraudsters may have used video snippets from corporate events and altered them for fraudulent promotions. Investigations are ongoing to locate the perpetrators involved in these scams.