Case pib-sitharaman-quantumai-deepfakesDeepfake fraudIndia
PIB flags deepfakes of India's finance minister endorsing QuantumAI get-rich scheme
India's PIB fact-check unit labelled fake several Facebook videos in which an AI-altered Nirmala Sitharaman promised returns such as Rs 10 lakh a month on Rs 22,000 or a QuantumAI platform; more clips were flagged later.
MediumAttack using AIStatus: OngoingVerified case file
Open in the interactive mapCite this case
- Reported
- Aug 19, 2025
- Location
- India
- Target
- Indian Facebook users; Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
- Severity
- Medium
- Triggered by
- Unknown
- Actor type
- Criminal
- Reported loss
- None reported
- CVE
- None
What happened
India's PIB fact-check unit labelled fake several Facebook videos in which an AI-altered Nirmala Sitharaman promised returns such as Rs 10 lakh a month on Rs 22,000 or a QuantumAI platform; more clips were flagged later.
Impact: Repeated misuse of the finance minister's likeness over nine months; losses not disclosed.
Who triggered it
Actor: Unknown
Attribution: No attribution; PIB noted unnatural lip-sync, mismatched logos and suspicious domains.
Motive: Investment fraud.
How it happened
Attack vector: Deepfake video ads on Facebook leading to fake trading platforms.
Root cause: Recycled official footage altered with lip-sync tools; ad platforms slow to remove.
Timeline
- PIB Fact Check labels Sitharaman investment videos fake
- PIB debunks new clip promising Rs 60,000 a day
- PIB flags further Sitharaman deepfake on Facebook
Response
Public debunks with side-by-side original footage; advice to verify via official channels.
Current status: Ongoing
Sources (open in a new tab)
- Storyboard18 storyboard18.com
- Gulf News gulfnews.com
- Outlook Money outlookmoney.com
Cite this case
PIB flags deepfakes of India's finance minister endorsing QuantumAI get-rich scheme. AI Threat Watch, case pib-sitharaman-quantumai-deepfakes, Aug 19, 2025. https://aithreat.io/cases/pib-sitharaman-quantumai-deepfakes/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/pib-sitharaman-quantumai-deepfakes/