A viral video claiming to show Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman promoting an investment scheme that promises a monthly income of ₹2.5 lakh has been declared fake by the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check unit.
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In a post on X, PIB Fact Check said the video circulating on social media had been digitally altered using artificial intelligence (AI) to falsely portray the Finance Minister endorsing the scheme.
According to the viral claim, citizens could earn an assured monthly income of ₹2.5 lakh by making an initial investment of ₹22,000.
Debunking the claim, PIB Fact Check said, “This video is fake and AI-generated.”
It also clarified that neither Sitharaman nor the Government of India has endorsed any such investment platform or scheme.
The fact-check unit cautioned people against falling for “easy money” scams circulating online, warning that fraudsters often use manipulated videos of public figures to deceive people into investing money.
“Beware of fraudsters attempting to lure citizens into losing their money through such easy money scams,” the PIB Fact Check post said.
It also urged the public to report suspicious content related to the Government of India to PIB Fact Check through its official WhatsApp number or email.
Previous deepfake scam
The PIB warning comes months after a similar deepfake scam surfaced in Bengaluru in November 2025, where a 57-year-old homemaker allegedly lost ₹43.4 lakh after being duped by a fake video featuring Sitharaman.
According to police, the woman came across the AI-generated video on Instagram, which falsely showed Sitharaman promoting a stock trading platform and promising high returns on investment. Believing the video to be genuine, she clicked on a link attached to the post and shared her personal details.
She was later contacted on WhatsApp by people claiming to represent the trading firm, who added her to an investment group and persuaded her to download a trading application. After making an initial investment, the app displayed seemingly high returns, encouraging her to invest larger amounts over the following weeks.
When she exhausted her savings, the fraudsters allegedly convinced her to take a loan through the app and even pledge her gold jewellery to continue investing. However, when she attempted to withdraw the money, she was unable to do so.
The fraud came to light after her bank flagged suspicious transactions and froze her account. Police said she had transferred ₹43.4 lakh through multiple transactions before realising she had been cheated. A case was subsequently registered at the East Cyber Crime Police Station under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
(With inputs from agencies)
