DocumentedDeepfake Financial FraudDecember 6, 2023India

Ratan Tata Deepfake Used in Investment-Scam Ads

Deepfake video advertisements appeared on Instagram and Facebook in late 2023 showing industrialist Ratan Tata appearing to endorse investment schemes promising guaranteed returns. The ads were constructed with cloned audio overlaid on existing Tata footage. Tata posted a clarification on his verified Instagram account on 6 December 2023 calling the videos 'FAKE'.

AI system:Generative AI voice cloning

Impact

Part of a broader wave of Indian celebrity-impersonation scam ads that also targeted Mukesh Ambani, Virat Kohli, Priyanka Chopra and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The pattern was a key reference point cited by MeitY and the Indian government in subsequent regulatory action on deepfakes.

Outcome

Tata's public takedown notice and the wave of celebrity protests prompted Meta and other platforms to remove flagged ads. Indian regulators continue to investigate the responsible advertising networks; no individual perpetrator has been publicly charged as of mid-2024.

Sources

  1. Source 1Business Standardwww.business-standard.com/india-news/in-instagram-post-ratan-tata-flags-fake-interview-recommending-investments-123120601156_1.html
  2. Source 2Business Todaywww.businesstoday.in/technology/news/story/after-priyanka-chopra-ratan-tata-flags-deepfake-video-of-him-featured-in-an-investment-scam-408514-2023-12-07
  3. Source 3BOOM Livewww.boomlive.in/fact-check/ratan-tata-deepfake-sona-agarwal-laila-rao-fact-check-23768
  4. Source 4The Cyber Expressthecyberexpress.com/ratan-tata-deepfake-video/

Related incidents

Same category, country, or harm tier.

India·January 15, 2024
Sachin Tendulkar Deepfake Promotes Skyward Aviator Quest Gaming App
A deepfake video circulated on Indian social media in January 2024 showing former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar appearing to endorse the Skyward Aviator Quest gaming app and falsely claiming his daughter Sara was profiting from it. The video was constructed by re-using a real April 2023 Curly Tales interview and overlaying a generative-AI voice clone of Tendulkar.
Hong Kong SAR·2024-01 (attack); 2024-05 (disclosure)
Arup $25 Million Deepfake CFO Scam
Finance employee at Arup Hong Kong received an email appearing to be from the UK-based CFO requesting a secret transaction. Initially suspicious, he accepted a video call where every other participant (CFO and colleagues) was a convincing deepfake. Employee made 15 transfers totaling approximately 25.6 million USD to 5 Hong Kong bank accounts. Fraud discovered only when employee later contacted actual headquarters.
India·April 2024 to June 2024
AI-Generated Disinformation in India's 2024 Lok Sabha Election
India's 2024 general election saw the most extensive deployment of generative-AI in any democratic election to date. More than 50 million AI-generated voice-clone calls were made in the two months before polling. Deepfake videos and audio impersonating Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh circulated widely. A particularly damaging doctored clip of Amit Shah appearing to announce the abolition of caste-based reservations led to police FIRs.
← Back to all incidentsSee full catalogue