Claim
A video circulating on social media claims that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is promoting an investment scheme which promises returns of ₹5,000 per hour and claims investors could earn up to ₹1 crore in six months. The video appears to show Sitharaman endorsing the scheme.
Verdict: FALSE
The video is fake and The claim is false. Neither the Finance Minister nor the Government of India has launched or endorsed any such investment scheme. The video is digitally altered using AI.
What Factcheck India Found?
- The government’s own fact-checking unit, Press Information Bureau (PIB), has labelled the video as fake and confirmed it is AI-generated.
- Neither the Finance Minister nor the Government of India has announced, approved or endorsed any such investment scheme.
- Independent media fact-checks of similar viral videos involving Sitharaman have exposed them as deepfakes — digitally manipulated videos combining altered facial features, cloned voiceovers, and misleading claims of “guaranteed returns.”
- Recently, law-enforcement agencies have started registering criminal complaints: for example, a police cyber-crime unit in Bengaluru filed a case after a deepfake video showed Sitharaman supposedly endorsing a fraudulent scheme, which was being used to lure investments.
How These Deepfake Scams Work and Why They’re Dangerous?
| Tactic Used | What It Does |
|---|---|
| AI-driven video/voice editing (deepfake) | Makes it look like a trusted figure — e.g. the FM — is endorsing a scheme. |
| Unrealistic return promises (₹5,000/hour, ₹1 crore in months) | Exploits people’s hopes and greed; such returns are economically implausible. |
| Use of familiar names/official-looking logos | Builds false credibility and trust. |
| Links redirecting to phishing/fraudulent investment pages | Lures unsuspecting users into parting with money or personal data. |
According to media and cybersecurity experts, such deepfakes are increasingly being used to target vulnerable citizens. Often the elderly or those less digitally literate by leveraging trust in public figures and offering quick money.
What the Government and Authorities Are Doing
- PIB has issued repeated “Fake News Alerts”, urging people not to trust or share such videos, and to rely only on official channels for any government scheme announcements.
- Cyber-crime units have begun investigations and FIRs in cases where such deepfake-based scams caused financial harm or attempted to defraud citizens.
- Public advisories now stress that any promise of “guaranteed high returns with small investment” Especially when promoted via social media clips should be treated with suspicion.
Why This Matters And What Citizens Should Watch Out For
- Deepfake technologies are now sophisticated: Videos may look and sound real, which makes detecting fraud harder.
- High-return investment promises are almost always scams: Financial logic doesn’t support ₹5,000/hour returns on small investments.
- Trust official sources, not social-media posts: Government or ministers’ legit schemes are announced via official websites, press briefings or credible media — not via random viral reels or shorts.
- Verify before investing: Check if there is any official announcement, track record, contact details, or regulatory oversight.
- Report suspicious content: If you see such a video or link, report it to social media platforms, local police cyber-crime cells, or via official government complaint channels.
Conclusion By Factcheck India
The video showing Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promoting an investment scheme promising ₹5,000 per hour is fake and AI-generated. The scheme does not exist, and the government has not authorized or endorsed any such offer. Citizens should treat such content as fraudulent, avoid sharing it, and report it as misinformation. The video is a sophisticated AI-generated scam; the alleged scheme is not real and has no government backing.