Senior Citizen Falls Prey to Deepfake Extortion Plot

In a shocking case that underscores the growing threat of AI-generated deepfakes, criminals targeted a 76-year-old resident of Govindpuram, Ghaziabad, using a video featuring the face and voice of a retired IPS officer. 

The victim, identified as Arvind Sharma, made repeated payments to the scammers, fearing police action over a manipulated image that suggested he had solicited sex.

The Ghaziabad police, acknowledging the severity of the incident, registered an FIR immediately and initiated an investigation. This case marks the growing scare of cyber fraud taking a dangerous turn with the use of deepfake technology, which involves digitally altering audio, video, and image content using generative AI.

Sharma, a clerk at a company who recently entered the world of smartphones and social media, fell prey to the criminals on November 4. The perpetrators initially contacted him through a Facebook video call, displaying explicit content. 

Despite Sharma disconnecting the call promptly, the fraudsters used the brief interaction to trap him. An hour later, he received a threatening video call on WhatsApp from an individual clad in a police uniform, claiming to file a complaint against Sharma unless he complied with their demands.

Sharma's daughter, Monica, revealed the emotional toll the extortion took on her father, stating, "They demanded another Rs 10,000 and then Rs 50,000 as my father kept paying. He also took a loan from the company where he works." The distress escalated to the point where Sharma considered suicide.

The family, discovering that the manipulated video featured former ADG Prem Prakash, approached the Ghaziabad police. ACP Abhishek Srivastava confirmed that they received the complaint through the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) and registered a case under the IT Act on Tuesday.

Srivastava highlighted the involvement of the cyber cell in solving the case, stating, "We have sent the details along with videos for forensic analysis. Other information, including bank transactions, are being looked into." Notably, a close examination of the video revealed discrepancies in voice and lip movement, suggesting signs of manipulation.

Police authorities plan to seek assistance from Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp to trace the account used by the criminals. Additional DCP Sachidanand emphasized the significance of the case, mentioning, "We have formed a team to solve the case."

Retired IPS officer Prem Prakash, the unwitting face of the deepfake video, expressed his awareness of the situation, stating, "I have seen that most victims of cybercrime don't report the matter to the police." He urged people to file complaints and report incidents to the national cyber crime helpline number (1930).

The incident comes at a time when the Indian government, led by Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, is actively working on regulations to combat deepfakes and misinformation on social media. PM Narendra Modi, addressing the negative effects of AI at a G20 virtual summit earlier this month, emphasised the need for global collaboration on regulations to ensure the safe integration of AI into society.