Indore family loses Rs 1 lakh in fake kidnap scam using 'deepfake technology': More details inside
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Indore family loses Rs 1 lakh in fake kidnap scam using 'deepfake technology': More details inside")
Representative image. Photograph: (Unsplash)
The police said the family had previously scolded the child; when he didn't return home and remained untraceable for long hours, they filed a missing person complaint at the local police station.
A family in Madhya Pradesh's Indore was cheated of Rs 1 lakh after fraudsters staged a fake kidnapping through a morphed video call using deepfake technology, showing their minor son in distress. The incident happened when their son, studying in Class X, did not return home after his tuition class.
According to a report by the Indian Express, the police said the family had previously scolded the child; when he didn't return home and remained untraceable for long hours, they filed a missing person complaint at the local police station. In order to find the boy quickly, the family also shared his footage and contact details on social media.
Later that night, the family reportedly received a video call from unidentified individuals claiming the child had been abducted. During the call, the boy was allegedly shown on camera and appeared to be in danger. The callers demanded Rs 1 lakh for his safe return and instructed the family to send the money via a QR code. Fearing the threat was real and concerned for the child’s safety, the family transferred the amount, according to police.
Police suspect cyber fraud using deepfake technology
However, the situation changed dramatically the next day when the boy returned home on his own. He reportedly informed his family that he had gone to a nearby temple for darshan and had not been kidnapped. He also said he had not been harmed or threatened. Soon after the boy claimed, the family informed the police, suspecting it was cyber fraud.
Additional DCP (Crime) Rajesh Dantodiya said the case seems to involved advanced level cybercrime involving manipulated visuals. He explained, “family was convinced because they saw what looked like their own child in the video call. Such videos can now be convincingly morphed using advanced technology”.
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Dantodiya added that the video shown to the family depicting the child being threatened, was not a real kidnapping. He noted that police have strong reasons to believe that deepfake technology was utilised to dupe the family after creating the extortion video. He said, "The crime branch has taken up the investigation to identify those behind the fraud and to trace the digital trail linked to the QR code payment”.
