Bengaluru woman loses ₹3.75 crore to deepfake Sadhguru video in investment scam: Report

During the February-April period, multiple fake advertisements featuring AI-generated voices of Sadhguru flooded social media platforms.

A 57-year-old Bengaluru woman has reportedly lost ₹3.75 crore to fraudsters after being deceived by a deepfake video of spiritual leader Sadhguru promoting a stock-trading platform.

The scam, which took place between February 25 and April 23, exploited the widespread circulation of AI-generated celebrity content on social media.

The scam, which took place between February 25 and April 23, exploited the widespread circulation of AI-generated celebrity content on social media.

The victim, identified as Sneha (name changed), a resident of CV Raman Nagar, said she was unaware of the existence of deepfakes, Times of India reported.

During the February-April period, multiple fake advertisements featuring AI-generated voices of Sadhguru flooded social media platforms. In June, Sadhguru himself approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights against unauthorized AI-generated content.

Sneha recounted that while scrolling through her mobile, she came across a reel in which Sadhguru appeared to promote investing in stocks and improving financial health with an investment of just $250, the report added.

Believing the reel to be genuine, she clicked on the link provided, which prompted her to submit personal details such as her name, email, and phone number.

Soon after, she was contacted by fraudsters posing as representatives of a company called ‘Mirrox.’ A person named Waleed B called her from multiple numbers, including +44 753731307, +44 7441958898, +44 770142144, and +44 7441941614. She was added to a WhatsApp group of around 100 members and directed to websites like info@mirrox.com, support@mirrox.com, and statement@mirrox.com. Waleed instructed her to download the Mirrox app and guided her through stock trading over Zoom, the TOI report further added.

Convinced of its “legitimacy”, she transferred a total of ₹3.75 crore to the accounts provided by the fraudsters by April 23. The app initially displayed high returns on her investments.

However, when Sneha tried to withdraw the money, the fraudsters demanded additional payments for processing fees and taxes. Sensing something was wrong, she refused to pay further. After this, the fraudsters stopped responding to her.

A senior police officer confirmed to TOI that Sneha made multiple transactions to different accounts and has provided the bank details to the authorities.