AI deepfake of Finance Minister on Facebook ads promises ₹70,000 a day — it is a scam
AI-generated deepfake videos of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman or PM Modi appear as Facebook and YouTube ads claiming ₹22,000 grows to ₹70,000 a day. Clicking leads to a fake trading platform that steals deposits.
Also known as: Nirmala Sitharaman fake investment video, deepfake minister investment ad, FM investment scheme Facebook scam, AI celebrity endorsement investment fraud, fake government investment platform ad
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
Call 1930 now- 1 Call 1930 — the national cyber-crime helpline — right now. The sooner you report, the better the chance of freezing the money before it moves.
- 2 Call your bank to freeze the account and block the card immediately. Use the number printed on your card, never a number from the message or caller.
- 3 File a report at cybercrime.gov.in and keep every message, screenshot, and transaction ID.
What to do right now
- 1 Never invest based on a social media video of a public figure — check PIB Fact Check (pib.gov.in/factcheck) or run the thumbnail through reverse image search before acting
- 2 Verify any investment platform's SEBI registration at sebi.gov.in — unregistered platforms are illegal; registered ones never guarantee daily returns
- 3 If you already transferred money, call 1930 immediately (national cyber helpline) and tell your bank to freeze the destination account — speed matters
- 4 Report the fake ad to Facebook or YouTube using the 'Report Ad' button, and report the scam at cybercrime.gov.in
- 5 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).
Red flags
- ⚠ Any Facebook or YouTube ad showing a Finance Minister, Prime Minister, or RBI Governor endorsing a specific investment platform — Indian government officials never endorse private investment platforms
- ⚠ The video promises guaranteed daily returns of ₹70,000 or monthly returns of ₹22 lakh from a ₹22,000 starting investment — no legitimate regulated scheme offers this
- ⚠ The ad uses a WhatsApp number or a non-official website (not gov.in or sebi.gov.in) for sign-up — official government bodies never recruit via WhatsApp or personal mobile numbers
- ⚠ The 'platform' shows impressive-looking returns in your dashboard but any withdrawal attempt triggers new fees, taxes, or verification steps
- ⚠ PIB Fact Check or news agencies have already labelled this video as deepfake — look up the official before investing
Sources
- Deccan Herald — Lured by deepfake 'Nirmala Sitharaman' video, Belagavi man loses ₹7.9 lakh in investment scam
- Organiser / PIB — Fact check: PIB debunks AI deepfake showing FM Nirmala Sitharaman endorsing ₹70,000-a-day investment scam (July 31, 2026)
- Pune Pulse — Pune businessman loses ₹1.07 crore in AI deepfake scam using fake FM Sitharaman video
- Punekar News — Pune businessman loses ₹1.07 crore in AI deepfake investment scam using FM Sitharaman image
- news4hackers — Supreme Court lawyer scammed of ₹38 lakh in fake Finance Minister investment scam
- OECD.AI — AI-Generated Deepfake Video Falsely Portrays Indian Finance Minister Endorsing Fraudulent Scheme (April 2026)
- NewsOnAir — Government debunks fake video featuring FM Nirmala Sitharaman's investment claims (April 9, 2026)
- NewsOnAir — Govt debunks fake video claiming FM Nirmala Sitharaman promoted investment scheme (January 7, 2026)