This is a research prototype. The data and analyses are preliminary and not yet validated — we'd welcome your .
A deepfake video impersonating Sudha Murty was used to promote a fraudulent investment platform called 'Quantum AI India'. The video directed users to a spoofed website designed to steal personal information. This incident follows previous similar scams, including one where a victim lost Rs 43 lakh after being targeted by a deepfake of Murty and her husband.
A purported deepfake impersonating Rajya Sabha MP and Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty circulated on social media urging viewers to click a link for "investment opportunities." The link allegedly directed users to a spoofed news website intended to collect personal details and promoted a "Quantum AI India" investment platform. Murty publicly warned the video was AI-generated and fraudulent.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to gain a personal advantage over others such as through cheating, fraud, scams, blackmail or targeted manipulation of beliefs or behavior. Examples include AI-facilitated plagiarism for research or education, impersonating a trusted or fake individual for illegitimate financial benefit, or creating humiliating or sexual imagery.
The incident involves the use of AI-generated deepfakes to impersonate a prominent figure to deceive individuals for financial gain through an investment scam.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed
The incident was caused by human actors intentionally deploying deepfake generation tools post-deployment to commit financial fraud.
Added categories peak at 3: Substantial (Epistemic Harm, Inferred)
A deepfake-enabled financial scam impersonating Indian public figure Sudha Murty led to individual financial losses. While exploiting the identity of a Member of Parliament, the incident constitutes localized cybercrime and fraud rather than a coordinated threat to national security.
The AI system (deepfake generator) was used as a tool by human creators to generate synthetic video and voice outputs based on direct inputs. It did not exhibit autonomous planning or agentic decision-making.
Risk Level 3. Limited Risk: The report describes the creation of deepfakes, which are explicitly classified under Limited Risk due to transparency obligations requiring users to be informed of AI-generated content.
The AI was used to generate a synthetic video of Sudha Murty using her face and voice to impersonate her.
The reports clearly describe the nature of the deepfake scam, the target, the platform, and the financial impact on at least one victim. The role of AI in generating the fake video and voice is explicitly stated.
None
Technology
AI Voice and Video Cloning
Advanced AI cloned Sudha Murty's face and voice to deceive viewers.
Data Inputs
Public Audio and Video Data
Abundant public footage of public figures used to train deepfake models.
Human Factors
Trust in Public Figures
Victims believed the scam because they trusted Sudha Murty's reputation.
Financial Vulnerability
The promise of high returns lured victims into investing without verifying.
Process and Methods
Inadequate Platform Screening
Instagram allowed the fraudulent deepfake advertisement on its platform.
AI system involved
An AI system was involved, but the reports do not identify it.
Identified by automated extraction; can differ from the alleged developers above.
