Retired IPS officer's Deepfake video in sextortion: Criminals target elderly man
Arvind Sharma, the victim residing in Govindpuram, was ensnared in the digital trap when fraudsters initiated contact via Facebook, engaging him in a video call that abruptly exposed illicit content.
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FollowIn a concerning incident, the emergence of deepfakes has taken a major turn, where criminals utilized AI-generated technology to fabricate a video impersonating a retired IPS officer from the UP Police. This deepfake video was used to pressure a 76-year-old man into repeated payments, creating a nightmarish scenario of extortion and psychological duress.
Arvind Sharma, the victim residing in Govindpuram, was ensnared in the digital trap when fraudsters initiated contact via Facebook, engaging him in a video call that abruptly exposed illicit content. Subsequently, Sharma fell victim to the offenders' threats, leveraging a manipulated video featuring a person in police uniform who menaced him with false allegations and the dissemination of fabricated social media interactions.
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Fearing disgrace and under intense psychological pressure, Sharma fell victim to the scammers' demands, initially transferring Rs 5,000 and subsequently escalating to Rs 74,000. His daughter Monica recounted the distressing ordeal in her police complaint, highlighting the perpetrators' relentless extortion and its harrowing impact on her father's mental well-being.
The distress intensified when the family, bewildered by the inexplicable actions of the purported IPS officer, former ADG Prem Prakash, sought assistance from the Ghaziabad police. ACP Abhishek Srivastava detailed their pursuit through the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) and the subsequent initiation of a case under the IT Act, delving into the intricate web of fraudulent bank transactions and digital evidence.
Upon closer inspection of the manipulated video, discrepancies in voice synchronization and lip movement were discernible, albeit unnoticed in the panic-induced circumstances. Authorities are now collaborating with the cyber cell for forensic scrutiny of the evidence, and efforts are underway to procure critical information from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, concerning the perpetrators' accounts.
As the distressing incident unfolds, the ramifications of deepfake technology have prompted national attention, aligning with Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's commitment to enact stringent regulations combating the spread of deepfakes and misinformation on social media.
This dire episode underscores the urgent need for comprehensive global regulations to curb the detrimental impact of AI and ensure its responsible and secure utilization, a sentiment echoed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent G20 virtual summit.
