Deepfake Scams

What is a Deepfake Scam?

A deepfake scam uses artificial intelligence to create or manipulate realistic videos, images, or audio of a person. Scammers may make it appear that a celebrity, government official, company executive, friend, or family member is saying or doing something that never actually happened.

Deepfakes can be used to promote fake investments, fraudulent schemes, impersonation, blackmail, misinformation, and financial fraud.

🚨 How the Scam Works

Scammers may:

🎥 Create a fake video of a celebrity promoting an investment opportunity.
👤 Impersonate a senior company executive and instruct an employee to transfer money.
👨‍👩‍👧 Create a fake video or image of a family member to make an emergency request appear genuine.
📱 Use manipulated videos on social media to promote fake products, schemes, or websites.
💰 Use AI-generated content to make fraudulent investment opportunities appear legitimate.

⚠️ Warning Signs

Be cautious when:

• Someone in a video makes unusually urgent requests for money.
• An investment opportunity promises guaranteed or exceptionally high returns.
• A video appears on an unfamiliar account or website.
• The person asks you to move the conversation to a private messaging platform.
• You notice unnatural facial expressions, lip movements, blinking, lighting, or audio.
• The content asks you to click a link, download an application, or provide financial information.

Remember: Deepfakes are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Visual or audio appearance alone should not be treated as proof that a person or message is genuine.

🛡️ How to Protect Yourself

VERIFY BEFORE YOU TRUST.

🔎 Check the original source of the video or image.
📞 Independently contact the person or organisation being impersonated.
🌐 Visit the organisation’s official website rather than clicking links in the message.
💰 Never make an investment or payment based solely on a video or voice message.
🔐 Never share OTPs, PINs, passwords or banking credentials.
📱 Be especially cautious about investment promotions circulated through social media.

🚨 If You Have Been Scammed

If money has been transferred:

• Contact your bank or payment provider immediately.
• Call 1930 without delay.
• Report the incident through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
• Preserve the original video, image, audio, messages, account details, URLs and transaction records.
• Report the fraudulent account or content to the relevant platform.

Remember

Seeing isn’t always believing. Hearing isn’t always proof.

STOP → VERIFY → REPORT

A convincing face or familiar voice can be artificially generated. Verify the person, source and request before you take action.