MHA warns of fake welfare scheme ads using deepfake videos of PM Modi, CMs and ministers

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday warned of a rise in financial frauds involving deepfake videos and manipulated advertisements impersonating Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and state chief ministers on Facebook and Instagram to lure unsuspecting users into fraudulent government welfare schemes.


In an advisory issued on October 19, the National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU), under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), said cybercriminals were increasingly using deceptive social media advertisements to promise financial assistance, cashback rewards and government benefits.


The government also flagged the involvement of international phone numbers, particularly those originating from Pakistan with the +92 country code, in these scams.

“In many instances, victims receive calls from international numbers, majorly Pakistan based (+92 numbers) claiming that they have been randomly selected to receive the alleged funds,” the advisory said.

According to the cybercrime agency, the fraudulent advertisements, predominantly circulated on Meta-owned platforms Facebook and Instagram, feature manipulated or deepfake videos of prominent political figures purportedly announcing welfare schemes aimed at providing financial assistance to economically weaker sections.

These advertisements direct users to WhatsApp chats, phone numbers or fraudulent websites to register for the purported schemes and claim benefits.

Once victims engage with the fraudsters, they are asked to make repeated payments towards taxes, processing fees, registration charges, verification fees and other administrative expenses before the promised financial assistance can be released.

The agency said such repeated payment demands could result in substantial cumulative financial losses for victims.

In another variation of the scam, fraudsters advertise cashback rewards through scratch-card and spin-and-win contests. Users clicking on these advertisements are redirected to fraudulent websites where they are shown fictitious cashback winnings.

They are subsequently directed to payment applications and induced to enter their UPI PINs under the pretext of receiving the reward. Instead, the transaction results in money being debited from their bank accounts and transferred to fraudsters.

The advisory noted that many of the fraudulent advertisements and websites fall under the category of political advertisements.