Vasai: A 66-year-old woman from Vasai was allegedly duped of Rs 12 lakh after cyber fraudsters used an AI-generated fake video of Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay to lure her with a promise of financial assistance. A case has been registered at Waliv police station.According to police, on July 27, the woman came across an Instagram reel purportedly featuring Vijay saying he provides financial assistance to the poor and needy and asking those seeking help to contact him. The woman called on the phone number provided in the reel and was given another number to communicate on. When she called on the second number and sought Rs 5 lakh aid, she was asked to pay Rs 5,000 as processing fee. Later, after gaining her trust, the fraudsters claimed she would receive Rs 77 lakh from abroad, for which she would have to pay taxes and other charges.The woman took a loan from a private credit society, pledged her jewellery, and also withdrew money from her daughter’s bank account and transferred a total Rs 12 lakh to bank accounts specified by the fraudsters. The entire transaction took place over a 10-day period.When she didn’t receive the ‘financial aid’, she realised she had been duped and approached Waliv police. “A case of cheating has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act,” said police inspector Gorakshnath Zaid.
