Fake ‘Chandrababu Video Call’ – 80 Thousand Scam Exposed

Cyber crimes are rampant everywhere across the country with scammers exploiting citizens of all categories using various fraudulent techniques. The innovative strategies used by these criminals with each passing day are shocking the police department.

A highly sophisticated cyber crime has come to light in Andhra Pradesh now. Fraudsters have now directly used Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to dupe an individual from Vishakapatnam with the help of Artificial Intelligence.

Scammers have impersonated as Chandrababu Naidu and defrauded Rs 80,000 from an innocent citizen. This alarming incident highlights how scammers are reaching extreme lengths, using cutting edge technology to exploit the trust of common people.

The victim, identified as Srinivas Reddy, was caught in a land dispute in the Seethampeta area of Visakhapatnam. In search of a solution for his problem, he became the target of a high-tech trap and lost the money in no time.

Cyber criminals initiated a WhatsApp video call displaying the face and voice of CM Chandrababu Naidu, while referring the names of Minister Nara Lokesh and other prominent leaders to establish credibility with the victim.

They even promised the victim that they would resolve his land dispute and also further assured him that strict action would be taken against the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner if allegations of bribery were proven.

Believing he was speaking directly to the Chief Minister, he transferred ₹80,000 in phased installments to the scammers. Realizing he had been duped after the fraudsters cut the call immediately after the transfer of amount, Reddy approached the Visakhapatnam Cyber Crime Police, who have since registered a case and initiated an investigation.

The incident has once again highlighted the need for awareness among rural people about the ways how cyber criminals are exploiting innocent people and scamming money. Earlier, they used send links and swindle money. But, they are now weaponizing AI deepfakes and voice cloning to impersonate the highest authorities of the state. Even CM is not immune to impersonation.