Factcheck: Deepfake Video Falsely Shows Nirmala Sitharaman Endorsing Online Investment Platform
The Reserve Bank of India issued a warning to investors regarding fraudulent “deep fake” videos of the governor being
Claim :
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is encouraging people to invest money using an online platformFact :
The audio has been manipulated using AI technology, and the Indian Finance Minister did not advertise any such online platform
The Reserve Bank of India issued a warning to investors regarding fraudulent “deep fake” videos of the governor being shared on social media. These videos falsely claim the launch or endorsement of certain investment schemes by the central bank. In an official statement, the RBI advised the public to be cautious of deep fake videos of top management circulating on social media offering financial guidance. The central bank emphasized that the videos produced using sophisticated technology are not genuine.
Meanwhile, a video shows Nirmala Sitharaman talking to people about an investment scheme where only a Rs 21,000 investment can let them earn Rs 15,00,000 per month. In the video, we can hear Ms Sitharaman say, ”Financial stability is the foundation of prosperity for each of us. In today’s changing economy, we must seek new opportunities for growth and well-being. Today, I want to introduce you to a revolutionary platform. Quantum AI has already helped thousands of Indians achieve financial independence. This automated system leverages cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to trade in financial markets. Over 350,000 Indians have started using this platform, and while earlier it was only accessible to a certain group of investors, it has now been opened to all Indian citizens.”
Here is the facebook video link of the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is false. The audio in the viral video has been manipulated. When we extracted keyframes from the viral video and searched using Google reverse image search, we found a few videos published by the India Today Group.
A video shared on the India Today Twitter handle shows the Indian Finance Minister in the same background and attire. The video was shared with the caption: FM Nirmala Sitharaman #exclusive ‘GST has actually reduced the rate of goods much better than what it was before the introduction of GST’ – FM Nirmala Sitharaman. #BudgetRoundtable2025 #Budget2025 | @nsitharaman @rahulkanwal @sahiljoshii @sakshibatra18 @szarabi
Another video was shared on the Instagram handle of Business Today with the caption: EXCLUSIVE: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Emphasises Govt’s Focus On Fiscal Discipline #PostBudgetRoundTable #BudgetwaytheBTway #Modinomics2025 #BusinessToday #Budget2025Live”**
We also found a longer video livestreamed on YouTube by Business Today with the caption: “LIVE & Exclusive | FM Nirmala Sitharaman At The IT-BT Post Budget Round Table”
The description of the video states that it shows an exclusive discussion with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on key takeaways from the 2025 Union Budget. This video was shared on February 4, 2025. In this video, the Indian Finance Minister can be seen answering questions by Business Today editor Siddharth Zarabi about the Goods and Services Tax (GST), indirect tax reforms, and other topics. She does not mention any investment platform. The interview was live-streamed by the India Today–Business Today Post Budget 2025 Conference, where Sitharaman discussed key takeaways from the 2025 Union Budget, which was presented on February 1, 2025. Nowhere in the video shared by Business Today **do we see the viral part of the video.
With the help of the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU), we tried to assess whether the audio has been manipulated in the viral video. The tool HiyaAI audio classifier found that the voice had been generated or modified by AI. Here is the screenshot.
The tool Deepfake-o-meter analysed the audio using six audio classifiers, five of which returned a high confidence score for the audio as being ‘AI-generated’. Here is the screenshot.
Several deepfake videos have been in circulation claiming that several Indian politicians and celebrities are advertising an online investment platform, Quantum AI, which has been debunked by several fact-check organisations.
Therefore, the viral video showing Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman talking to people about an investment scheme where only a Rs 21,000 investment can let them earn Rs 15,00,000 per month on an online investment platform named Quantum AI is a deepfake video. The claim is false.
