An elderly man in UP’s Ghaziabad was duped of Rs 74,000 by scammers who used an AI-generated deepfake video of a retired IPS officer to threaten the victim.

New Delhi: Amid the growing concern in the country over the misuse of AI-powered deepfake technology being used for nefarious ends by criminal elements, scammers extorted an elderly man in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, forcing him to pay Rs 74,000 by using a deepfake video of a retired police officer.

According to the police, the victim’s daughter filed a complaint stating that her 74-year-old father was duped by by scammers of Rs 74,000 who used an AI-generated deepfake video and threatened to implicate him in false cases and also share an objectionable video of him on social media if he did not pay them.

Based on the complaint, the Ghaziabad Police registered a case against the unidentified accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology (IT) Act.

“Unidentified men used AI technology to make a deepfake video with the voice and face of a retired IPS officer and called the victim on WhatsApp. The accused, while posing as the former police officer, threatened to implicate and arrest the victim in false cases, and also share an objectionable video of him online if he did no pay them,” an official said, citing the complaint filed by the victim’s daughter.

Fearing consequences if he did not comply, the elderly man transferred Rs 74,000 to the bank account shared by the scammers, the official said, adding that the video has been sent for forensic investigation and further probe in the case is ongoing.

Recently, there have been growing concerns over the misuse of AI-powered deepfake tech by criminals following a morphed video of actor Rashmika Mandhana which went viral on social media platforms.

Rashmika Mandhana deepfake row

On November 6, a modified video of Rashmika appeared online sparking discussions of digital safety. In the viral video, it can be seen that a woman resembling the actress Rashmika was entering a lift wearing a black swimsuit.

The video quickly went viral and several social media users came forward to confirm that it was a deep fake. It was later identified that the video was of a British Actress Zara Patel.

The actor strongly reacted to the alleged deep fake video and said, “I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deep fake video of me being spread online. Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused.”

The Delhi Police registered an FIR under relevant sections, and an investigation has been carried out into the matter.

Delhi Police said that a technical analysis is underway to identify the accused involved in the deepfake video case of Rashmika Mandanna.

(With agencies inputs)