Central Government Warns Mumbai of AI Deepfake Authentication Bypass Scam
The Central Government of India has issued an advisory warning citizens in Mumbai about an Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven authentication bypass scam. The National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) has observed that fraudsters are using deepfake videos and synthetic identities to gain unauthorized access to financial and digital services.
According to the advisory, cybercriminals are increasingly using AI to create realistic deepfake videos and synthetic identities. These technologies are being exploited to bypass facial authentication, liveness verification, Video-KYC, and account recovery systems. Fraudsters attempt to gain unauthorized access to accounts by using facial recordings obtained through deceptive video calls, fake online job interviews, or social engineering tactics.
The advisory states that fraudsters contact individuals through social media platforms, messaging applications, job portals, dating platforms, or phone calls. Facial data may also be collected through public platforms. During these interactions, victims may be convinced to perform facial movements such as looking at the screen, turning their head, blinking, or speaking, which are secretly recorded by the fraudsters.
The recorded video is then processed using AI-based tools to generate a realistic digital replica capable of imitating the victim's facial movements, expressions, eye blinks, and voice. In the absence of deepfake detection, this synthetic media is used to bypass facial authentication and liveness verification systems. This allows criminals to bypass KYC procedures adopted by financial institutions to create or activate financial accounts.
To defend against this remote identity theft, the advisory suggests that citizens lock their biometric profiles and keep a watch on email notifications for unauthorized login or authentication attempts.
If a financial fraud or identity theft occurs, the government advises reporting it immediately to freeze siphoned funds before they leave the banking network. Citizens should provide the fraudster's contact number and the video link used. Furthermore, if mobile network connectivity suddenly stops working, individuals should contact their network provider immediately to ensure a fraudulent SIM swap has not occurred.
