Hyderabad Cybercrime Police summons Meta over AI scam videos

The move comes after several complaints from people who allegedly lost money after being misled by fake videos promoting fraudulent investment schemes.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have summoned Meta and sought a detailed explanation on the measures taken by Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram to detect and prevent investment scams involving artificial intelligence (AI)-generated videos of politicians and celebrities.

The move comes after several complaints from people who allegedly lost money after being misled by fake videos promoting fraudulent investment schemes, as the police continue to hold big tech to account for enabling cyber crimes on their platforms.

Days earlier, on Sunday, July 26, the Cyberabad Police registered a case against Google India’s nodal officer on charges of negligence after a 58-year-old man lost Rs 7.95 lakh investing in stocks through a fraudulent app listed on the Google Play Store.

Meta representative meets police

A representative of Meta appeared before the Hyderabad Cybercrime Police on Tuesday, July 28, in response to a notice issued by the police.

According to the police, the meeting was held after multiple cyber fraud cases in which victims collectively lost crores of rupees by trusting fake advertisements and posts on Meta platforms.

Police said they showed the Meta representative several examples of such frauds and asked the company to send its technical team to explain the safeguards currently in place to prevent such cases.

Fake videos of leaders, celebrities used

Police said fraudsters have been using AI-generated videos of well-known personalities to attract investors.

Among those whose fake videos were allegedly used are Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor Amitabh Bachchan and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

The fake videos were circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp to promote fraudulent investment platforms.

The issue gained attention after Owaisi filed a complaint with Hyderabad Police in June. He alleged that unknown persons had used AI to create fake videos in his name and falsely portrayed him as endorsing an investment scheme.

Google India also asked to explain

Hyderabad Police said they are also examining the role of online platforms in preventing financial fraud.

Google’s nodal officer had met with the Hyderabad Cybercrime Police and was asked to return with the company’s senior executives and technical team to explain what checks and measures were in place to keep fraudulent apps off the Play Store. 

That meeting is likely to take place this week, according to a report in the Times of India.