A viral video in the name of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is spreading rapidly on social media, in which it is being claimed that by investing only Rs 22,000, one can get returns of up to Rs 5.5 lakh in a week. In the video, the Finance Minister is reportedly recommending a weekly income platform and assuring government guarantee. But the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check Unit has declared it to be completely fake and AI-generated.
It can be seen in the video that logos of big companies like HDFC, SBI, Reliance are shown on the screen. Also, rapidly increasing earning counter and attractive graphics have been used. It has been claimed in the voiceover that this platform is government supported and can easily provide huge profits to common investors. Many users are sharing it and it is also running as a sponsored ad on Facebook and other platforms.
A video circulating on social media falsely shows Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promoting an investment platform and claiming returns of ₹5.5 lakh in one week on an initial investment of ₹22,000.#PIBFactCheck: :
The video is #FAKE and AI-generated
The pic.twitter.com/UM4wpe7tz0
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 9, 2026
PIB Fact Check clarified that this video is digitally manipulated with AI technology. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman or the Government of India has never endorsed any such investment platform. Nor is there any government scheme that promises such high returns in such a short period of time. PIB warned that such claims are usually part of scams, whose aim is to lure people and grab their bank details, OTP or money.
Fraud through AI deepfakes
Generally a 25x return in such a short period of time in real investment is almost impossible. This is a classic Ponzi scheme or fraud pattern, where the trust of a few people is first won by giving them small returns and then the fraud is carried out on a large scale. In recent years, the misuse of faces and voices of government officials through AI deepfake videos has increased, which can easily mislead the common people.
The Finance Ministry and PIB have appealed to citizens to verify any investment related claims only through official government websites, apps or press releases. Do not click on suspicious links, nor share your personal or financial information. If you receive any such video or message, immediately report it on WhatsApp +91 8799711259 [email protected].
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