Deepfake Video of a Leader Promising Cashback or a Government Scheme? Why It Is a Scam, and the One UPI Rule That Protects You

You are scrolling Facebook or Instagram and see a sponsored video. A well-known leader appears to announce a new government scheme: register now and get thousands of rupees in your bank account, or play a scratch card for guaranteed cashback. The video looks real, the voice sounds right, and the page uses official-looking names and logos.

It is very likely a fraud. In October 2026, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which works under the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued a public advisory warning that fraudsters are using manipulated and deepfake videos of public figures, including the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and Chief Ministers, to promote fake welfare schemes and cashback offers. This article explains how the scam works, the single rule about UPI that stops most of these frauds, and what to do if you have already paid.

How the scam works

According to the advisory, the pattern is usually the same:

1. A fake ad. Fraudsters run ads on social media using edited or AI-generated (deepfake) videos of leaders or other public figures, promising a scheme, subsidy, reward or cashback.
2. A link or a number. People who show interest are sent to a fake website, a phone number or a WhatsApp account. Some victims are contacted from international numbers, including numbers beginning with +92.
3. A "fee". Victims are asked to pay an advance amount described as tax, registration, verification or processing charges before the "benefit" is released.
4. The UPI trick. In cashback and scratch-card versions, victims are guided to a payment app and persuaded to approve a UPI request or enter their UPI PIN, believing they are receiving money. In fact, they are paying the fraudsters.

The one rule that protects you: a UPI PIN is only for paying

The I4C advisory puts it simply: a UPI PIN authorises a payment; it is not required to receive money. If anyone tells you to enter your PIN, approve a "collect" request or scan a QR code to receive cashback, a refund or a prize, money will go out of your account, not into it.

Real credits, whether from an employer, a friend or a government scheme, reach your account without you entering any PIN.

Why a convincing video proves nothing

Deepfake tools can now copy a person's face and voice convincingly. A video of a leader, a celebrity or a senior official is not proof that a scheme exists. Genuine government schemes are announced through official government websites and channels, and you can check them there before giving any information or paying anything. No genuine scheme asks you to pay a "registration fee" to a private WhatsApp number.

How to protect yourself

• Check any scheme on the official website of the department concerned before sharing details or paying.
• Be suspicious of videos or voice notes of officials promising money, especially in sponsored ads.
• Never pay an advance "fee", "tax" or "processing charge" to receive a benefit.
• Never share your Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, OTP or UPI PIN with unknown people.
• Read every UPI screen carefully. If it asks for your PIN, you are paying.
• Be especially careful with calls and messages from unfamiliar international numbers, such as those beginning with +92.
• Talk to a family member before acting on any "limited time" money offer. These scams depend on haste.

If you have already paid

1. Call 1930, the national cybercrime helpline, as soon as possible, with the transaction details. Speed matters, because money can sometimes be held before it moves further.
2. Inform your bank through its official app or the number printed on your card or passbook.
3. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in and keep screenshots of the ad, the website, the chat, the numbers used and the transaction.
4. Seek an FIR if required. Information about a cognizable offence can be given at any police station, including the cyber crime police stations in Gurugram.
5. Do not pay anyone who offers to "recover" the money for a fee. Victims are often targeted a second time.

Our guide on what to do in the first 24 hours after losing money to online fraud explains these steps in more detail.

How the law treats it

Depending on the facts, such frauds usually involve cheating under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 420 IPC), cheating by personation under Section 319 BNS (formerly Section 419 IPC), and offences under the Information Technology Act, 2000, such as identity theft (Section 66C) and cheating by personation using a computer resource (Section 66D). These cases are investigated by the cyber crime police. More general information is on our cyber crime page.