Tamil Nadu Police have issued a scam alert after an AI deepfake video impersonating Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay surfaced online. The Cyber Crime Cell detected the video during cyber patrolling and registered a case on September 1, 2026. The clip uses Hindi audio and falsely promises financial assistance through a WhatsApp number.
The video circulates on Facebook and other social platforms, showing Vijay appearing to address people seeking financial help. Investigators suspect scammers created the content to cheat people through WhatsApp groups and fraudulent financial demands.
A senior CB-CID official said, “We suspect the modus operandi is that when people respond to the number shown in the video, they get added to a WhatsApp group.”
The CB-CID has approached Meta for details about the fake Facebook account and related log records. Authorities have also requested removal of the fraudulent videos from social media platforms.
Preliminary findings indicate that several similar Vijay deepfake videos continue circulating across different platforms. Many videos reportedly originated from Facebook IDs purportedly based in Pakistan, although investigators continue tracing the people behind them.
Tamil Nadu Police warned people against calling numbers or joining WhatsApp groups promoted through such videos. The agency stressed that ‘these videos are not genuine’ and described them as deepfake content created to cheat people.
The latest Tamil Nadu scam alert highlights a growing risk from AI-generated impersonation. Authorities urged families to discuss such scams and verify financial assistance claims through official government channels.
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