Bengaluru woman loses ₹3.75cr in AI deepfake Sadhguru scam
A retired 57-year-old woman from Bengaluru lost ₹3.75 crore after falling for an AI deepfake scam that used a fake video of Sadhguru endorsing a stock trading platform.
The fraud ran from February 25 to April 23, 2024, with the victim convinced by social media clips and prompted to share her details through a linked page.
Scammers built trust with fake profit screenshots
Scammers, posing as company reps, added her to WhatsApp groups and hosted Zoom sessions, sharing fake profit screenshots to build trust.
She sent large sums over several months but stopped when asked for extra withdrawal fees—at which point the scammers vanished.
Police are now working with banks to freeze accounts, but recovering the money looks tough.
Cases like this—and similar scams targeting public figures in 2024—highlight how convincing and risky AI deepfakes have become for everyone online.