# Mumbai woman loses Rs 12 lakh to deepfake Vijay video scam 2026-08-19T16:32:33+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A 66-year-old woman from Vasai, Mumbai, was cheated out of Rs 12 lakh after cyber fraudsters used an AI-generated deepfake video of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay to promise financial assistance. The woman saw the fake Instagram reel on July 27 and contacted the number provided. She was asked to pay a Rs 5,000 processing fee for Rs 5 lakh aid, and later told she would receive Rs 77 lakh from abroad after paying taxes. Over 10 days, the woman took a loan, pledged jewellery, and withdrew from her daughter's account to transfer Rs 12 lakh to the fraudsters' accounts. When the promised aid did not arrive, she filed a complaint. Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act at Waliv police station. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Deepfake scams are rising as AI tools become cheaper. Here, the fraudsters exploited trust in a popular leader. Victims often hesitate to report due to embarrassment, but swift police action is critical. The case highlights how loan sharks and jewellery pledging can amplify losses for elderly victims. Watch for similar scams targeting vulnerable groups during festive seasons. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Straight report of crime with no slant, names police and procedure. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: cyber fraud, deepfake, Mumbai, Vasai, Vijay, Waliv police Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mumbai-woman-loses-rs-12-lakh-to-deepfake-vijay-video-scam/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mumbai-woman-loses-rs-12-lakh-to-deepfake-vijay-video-scam/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/