Bengaluru Woman Loses ₹3.7 Crore in Scam Involving Sadhguru Deepfake Video

Quick Summary:

• The East Division Cybercrime Police registered an FIR against a man for cheating a retired woman, Varsha Gupta, out of ₹3.75 crore by using an AI-generated deepfake video featuring spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.
• The deepfake video showed Sadhguru endorsing an investment company called Mirrox, promising ample returns on investments.
• Varsha Gupta followed instructions from the video and invested through accounts accessed via the Mirrox application between February 25,2025,and april 23,2025. she transferred ₹3.75 crore through her SBI and HSBC bank accounts over this period.
• Fraud was revealed when her attempts to withdraw funds failed; discussions with family confirmed she had been duped.
• Another homemaker in Mission Road lost ₹1.43 crore to a similar scam that involved WhatsApp interaction, trading app links, and false promises of doubling money quickly.

Indian Opinion Analysis:

These cases highlight the escalating threat posed by advanced technologies such as deepfakes in fraudulent schemes targeting vulnerable individuals. The usage of AI-generated videos impersonating trusted public figures like Sadhguru represents a concerning evolution in cybercrime tactics, making scams more convincing than ever before.

The losses suffered-₹3.75 crore and ₹1.43 crore respectively-underline the financial vulnerability individuals face when confronted with sophisticated frauds exploiting trust through technology. This calls for enhanced awareness campaigns about emerging threats like deepfakes and stricter regulations on the growth and dissemination of deceptive AI tools every citizen can unknowingly encounter on social media platforms.

Cybercrime units must remain vigilant while updating protocols to address novel methods used by criminals efficiently; parallelly targeted education efforts at all age groups concerning digital safety could prove essential to curbing these crimes longer term.

Read more at The Hindu.