AI incident ·
Purported Deepfake WhatsApp Scam Impersonating Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Actor C. Joseph Vijay Reportedly Defrauded Bengaluru Security Guard of ₹104,000 (~$1,085.40)
In brief
An AI system built by Synthetic video generation technology developers, Synthetic media generation technology developers and 1 other and deployed by Synthetic media creators, Scammers in India and 5 others allegedly harmed Victims of impersonation scams, Victims of deepfake-enabled fraud and 8 others.
- Risk domain
- Not classified
- Occurred
- Coverage
- 1 report
What happened
Ratikanta Giri, a 29-year-old security guard in Bengaluru, India, reportedly lost ₹104,000 (~$1,085.40) after a WhatsApp video caller used a purportedly AI-generated deepfake to impersonate C. Joseph Vijay, the actor and chief minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The caller promised financial aid, while accomplices allegedly demanded fees and later impersonated India's Central Bureau of Investigation.
Laws that address this harm
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News reports (1)
Titles link to the original publisher; report text is not reproduced here.
Who was involved
- Alleged deployer
- Synthetic media creators Scammers in India Scammers Impersonation scammers Deepfake creators Cybercriminals in India Cybercriminals
- Alleged developer
- Synthetic video generation technology developers Synthetic media generation technology developers Deepfake technology developers
- Alleged harmed party
- Victims of impersonation scams Victims of deepfake-enabled fraud Ratikanta Giri Public figures Politicians in India Politicians Impersonated public figures Financial scam victims Epistemic integrity C. Joseph Vijay
AI systems implicated
WhatsAppSynthetic video generation technologySynthetic media generation technologyMessaging appsDeepfake technology
Classification (MIT AI Risk Repository taxonomy)
- Risk domain
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- Risk subdomain
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- Causal entity
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- Intent
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- Timing
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- Harm level
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Related incidents
Linked by editors or by text similarity in the source dataset.
Other incidents involving Synthetic media creators
- Stanford University Acknowledged Using AI to Alter Student Photo for Campus Banners, Replacing Hispanic Student With Black Woman
- AI-Generated Images Purporting to Show Donald Trump Kissing White House Aide Natalie Harp Went Viral on Social Media
- Russia-Linked Matryoshka Influence Operation Reportedly Used AI-Cloned Celebrity Voices and Fabricated News-Style Videos to Target Democratic Candidates Ahead of 2026 U.S. Midterms
- Delhi Man Allegedly Used AI to Create and Circulate Obscene Images of College Acquaintance
- Northern Ireland Victim Reportedly Lost £250,000 in Investment Scam Using Purportedly AI-Generated Video of Unnamed Financial Personality
- Parkview High School in Georgia Reportedly Received Series of Purportedly AI-Generated Bomb Threats That Prompted Repeated Lockdowns
Source record: incident #1711 on the AI Incident Database · all 1 report