Deepfakes of Ambani, Dhoni, Kohli promote betting app Indiatoday

First, we conducted an online search to determine if Virat Kohli has ever endorsed such a gaming application. We found no reports or mentions of him endorsing such an application on his social media platforms. This deepfake investment scam also targets well-known TV journalists, manipulating footage to create a false impression of authenticity. These altered videos imply endorsements from reputable sources, exploiting public trust for illicit gains. We can see that Anant Ambani’s remarks on Vantara have been digitally manipulated to appear like he was promoting the Aviator app.

In April, Meta announced to start labelling AI generated content, Meta’s manipulated media policy covers videos that are created or altered by AI to make a person appear to say something they didn’t say. „I will give 1 billion to celebrate my wedding. Play my favourite game, Aviator; I will increase each win fivefold, and if you lose, I will refund double your deposit,” declares a video of businessman Anant Ambani as he appeals people to play the dubious betting game “Aviator App”. The Quint’s WebQoof has previously debunked deepfakes of other notable personalities promoting different applications and platforms.

According to the DAU, a closer look at the viral videos, particularly Nita Ambani’s, shows primitive attempts at lip syncing, quivering lips and shaky dentition, all signs of AI manipulation. When contacted, a company representative said it would take just 2–3 days to develop and deploy an aviator game. “We charge Rs 40,000-Rs 45,000 for development and about Rs 500 per month for server hosting.

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We ran the video past TrueMedia, which, too, detected “substantial evidence of manipulation”. Newschecker noticed that the lip movements of Nita Ambani, Anant Ambani, Yogi Adityanath, and Gautam Adani, felt unnatural and were not completely in sync with their speech, raising our doubts on whether the videos were digitally altered. We also ran a keyword search for “Aviator Nita Ambani Anant Ambani Yogi Adityanath Gautam Adani”, which did not throw up any credible news reports about any of them endorsing such an app.

• Both individuals seem to be discussing the game and promising high returns, claiming minimal investments can lead to significant profits.
• The Cyber Express has investigated these Aviator game scams and found out most of these apps have been banned on platforms like Google Play Store and Apple App Store due to their deceptive practices.
• However, despite its popularity, the Aviator game has garnered notoriety for its misleading promises and unfair practices.
• The popularity of simulated aviator games – that give a virtual experience of flying an aircraft – seems to be rising in India.

A video of Indian cricketer Virat Kohli promoting an application named ‘Aviator Game 1Win’ is being widely shared on social media platforms. The proliferation of deepfake videos exploiting the reputations of public figures like Mukesh Ambani and Virat Kohli highlights the urgent need for stringent measures against digital deception. As consumers, vigilance and skepticism are essential in understanding an increasingly complex technological era with potential scams and misinformation. Reviews and user experiences highlight consistent patterns of manipulation and rigged outcomes designed to benefit the operators at the expense of trusting players.

Again, Adani does not endorse an online game at any point in his speech. What is more concerning is the ease and low cost in designing and maintaining them. The popularity of such games can be gauged by the fact that some software developers have put out documents online and FAQ (frequently asked questions) on the development of such games, and offer to design them in no time. An AI content detection tool developed by US firm TrueMedia found that these videos used cloned voices and visuals manipulated by AI.

We ran the video past TrueMedia, which detected “substantial evidence of manipulation”. Investigation revealed the original context of Ambani’s video related to an animal rescue program launch. Similarly, Kohli’s video was traced back to a different context involving discussions on religious harmony, debunking claims of both videos promoting gaming applications as false.

Topics:  Anant Ambani   Webqoof   Deepfake

This means that there is a large potential market for your game. This means that you can make a lot of money from your game,” reads a document posted by a Noida-based firm. The popularity of simulated aviator games – that give a virtual experience of flying an aircraft – seems to be rising in India. Google Trends data shows the keyword “aviator game” has risen by over 10 times in the last one year. Newschecker had also reached out to the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) of The Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA), of which Newschecker https://aviator.5g.in/ is a part of.

A video of Indian actor Akshay Kumar promoting an application named ‘Aviator Game 1Win’ is being widely shared on social media platforms. We ran the video past TrueMedia, an AI content-detection tool, which detected “substantial evidence of manipulation”. ClaimFacebook ads, purportedly featuring Nita Ambani, Anant Ambani, Yogi Adityanath, and Gautam Adani, promoting a mobile game app, promising easy money.FactNo such endorsements, viral ads were found to be deepfakes. Earlier, we have also debunked a similar deep fake video of Sachin Tendulkar promoting an online gaming app.

The game’s unique, “easy to make money” has been tried and tested to be too good to be true. Inside the game, players engage by flying planes to earn money, influencing outcomes through their actions—a unique feature in online gaming. The game includes bonus rounds and mini-games, accessible on desktop, mobile, and tablet platforms to reach a broad audience.

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Meta’s transparency data says these pages were run from different countries like Ukraine, the UK, the US, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. For Ambani’s face, the tool was fairly confident that it was a composite of blended faces and that his face had been manipulated with in the video.

Previously, the Indian media company The Quint decoded another instance of deepfake videos involving Mukesh Ambani’s son, Anant Ambani, and Virat Kohli promoting gaming apps in viral clips circulating on social media. Further, we performed a reverse image search of the viral video, which led us to the original video uploaded on the YouTube channel of ‘Graham Bensinger’ on 22 December 2023. In this video, Kohli discusses his personal life and cricket, with no promotion of any gaming application.

Beware! Deepfakes of Mukesh Ambani and Virat Kohli Used to Promote Betting Apps

Deepfake ads impersonating Nita Ambani, Anant Ambani, Yogi Adityanath, and Gautam Adani, so as to promote an online action game that promises easy money have gone viral. Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes, which led us to this India TV interview with the UP CM for its show “Aap Ki Adalat”, streamed live amid the 2024 Lok Sabha polls on May 11, 2024. Adityanath did not endorse an online game at any point in the interview, which shows that the viral ad was digitally altered. Earlier this year, a deepfake of Sachin Tendulkar promoting a similar aviator game was reported. Despite widespread coverage of the incident, the notorious operators continue to circulate deep fakes of other celebrities. These deepfake videos have been socially engineered to take different groups of the audience into confidence.

However, despite its popularity, the Aviator game has garnered notoriety for its misleading promises and unfair practices. Users have reported massive financial losses after investing in what turned out to be a fraudulent scheme. Creators of „Aviator App” have targeted heavyweights and influencers from all walks of life for promotion – from comedian Kapil Sharma, cricketers Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to businessman Mukesh Ambani. The Cyber Express is a handbook for all stakeholders of the internet that provides information security professionals with the latest news, updates and knowledge they need to combat cyber threats. Both individuals seem to be discussing the game and promising high returns, claiming minimal investments can lead to significant profits. Team WebQoof searched for the source of Kohli’s video on YouTube using the keywords „Virat Kohli Kurta.”

“Social engineering” refers to campaigns designed to exploit human psychology to manipulate people into transferring money or doing something that they won’t normally do. Using advanced deepfake techniques, the video manipulates their appearances and voices to make it seem like they are endorsing the app. This deceptive tactic exploits the trust and influence these figures hold. An internet search using relevant keywords led us to several media reports (here, here, and here) stating that Akshay Kumar’s team has denied his endorsement of such an application and is taking legal action against the misuse of the actor’s identity for false advertisement.

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AI technologies like voice cloning could have been used to alter Kohli’s voice and lip movements to create the false impression of a gaming app promotion. In all the cases combined, a single app that was heavily promoted by social media pages and deepfake videos was the Aviator game. Aviator, an online casino game developed by Spribe, has become the most controversial game on the internet.

Moreover, we subjected the viral video to deep fake video detectors, and they identified it as potentially being a deep fake. A video of Reliance Foundation Director Anant Ambani talking about a smartphone application is being shared on social media. Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes, which led us to this ANI tweet, dated March 13, 2024, where Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani talks about the mantras that have helped him in succeeding.