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)
On this page 8 sections
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.
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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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Related incidents
Linked by editors or by text similarity in the source dataset.
Other incidents involving Synthetic media creators
- Purportedly AI-Generated Image Reportedly Prompted Police Alert and Search for Nonexistent Venomous Viper in Santa Ana, California
- Russia-Linked Matryoshka Operators Reportedly Circulated Deepfake of Mother Jones Editor Claiming DNC Paid CNN $259 Million
- 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
Source record: incident #1711 on the AI Incident Database · all 1 report