Deepfake video of Sudha Murthy used to promote fraudulent investment scheme

What is the claim?

A viral Facebook video featuring Indian social worker and philanthropist Sudha Murthy claims she has launched a project enabling people to earn Rs 100,000 ($ 1,183) a day.

The 3-minute, 54-second video shows Murthy promoting a project that is claimed to help people "earn Rs 2.8 million a month." She states that only 100 people are eligible for the offer, with just 50 spots available. Murthy further explains that they have created artificial intelligence-powered software that will allow participants to earn Rs 100,000 daily. 

She further mentions that the software was tested with a small group, where users reportedly earned Rs 5.7 million in the first week. According to her, the number of users will grow once the government begins selling the project. To join, viewers are encouraged to visit the linked website and submit their details. An archived version of the video is available here.

A screenshot of the social media post. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, our investigation found the claim to be false. The video was manipulated using deepfake technology to promote a fake money-making scam. Murthy has not announced any such project.

Video of Sudha Murthy has been altered

Our investigation included reverse image searches on keyframes of the video, revealing similar (archive here) short clips published by a YouTube channel called 'Mohammed Ahsan's Library.' In these videos, Murthy can be seen wearing the same saree and sitting in the same setting. However, in these original videos, Murthy discusses topics like raising children (archived here), romance, and her relationship (archived here) with her husband, Indian billionaire businessman Narayana Murthy. None of these videos, however, mention a money-making project.

Comparison between the fake video and the original video. (Source: Facebook/YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

Further analysis of the audio reveals noticeable discrepancies. The voice in the viral video sounds robotic, with an accent unlike Murthy's. Additionally, her lip movements seem altered to match the fabricated voice, suggesting the use of deepfake technology.

The Misinformation Combat Alliance's Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU), which Logically Facts is a part of, analyzed the audio using deepfake detection tools Hive Audio Detector, Hiya AI Voice Detection, and TrueMedia.

TrueMedia identified substantial manipulation, detecting facial alterations with 97 percent confidence and AI-generated audio with 100 percent certainty, likely created using cloning software (99 percent confidence). It also flagged facial feature discrepancies with 65 percent confidence. 

Image shows the deepfake detection results by TrueMedia. (Source: TrueMedia/Modified by Logically Facts)

Hiya AI Voice Detection confirmed that the audio is fake, with only a 1 percent match to live human markers. Hive AI's detector identified only five segments of the audio as "Not AI-generated," while the visual analysis confirmed the video as a deepfake with minimal doubt.

Image shows deepfake detection analysis by Hive AI. (Source: Hive AI/screenshot)

What else did we find?

The Facebook page sharing the video is not based in India. According to the page’s transparency details, its primary locations are Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ukraine, and the United States. The page name is written in Thai and reads “Ranong Provincial Police Station,” based in Thailand.

The image shows the primary location of the managers of the Facebook page. (Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

Altered video of Narayana Murthy

We discovered that the video links to a website called 'inirliff.com,' which masquerades as a news article from The Times of India. The page mimics the design of the national daily's website, including its masthead and navigation options. The article claims that Indian citizens can earn Rs 2 million by investing Rs 21,000, with registration closing on November 22.

However, The Times of India has not published any such article. The website is fake and designed to deceive users. It lacks contact information or external links, and interacting with the masthead or sections redirects users to the bottom of the page.

A screenshot of the fake website, which looks like the Times of India news website. (Source: Inirliff.com/Screenshot) 

The fake website includes a deepfake video of Narayana Murthy, repeating the same claims as the altered Sudha Murthy video. The 4:41-minute clip was created by modifying lip movements and generating a fake voice using AI.

A reverse image search traced the original video (archive here) to a 25:35-minute CNBC-TV18 interview featuring both Murthys. Narayana Murthy does not discuss any such project in the original. The deepfake was constructed by splicing segments from the interview, with the first 19 seconds taken from the 22:29 to 22:48 mark.

TrueMedia confirmed the audio was AI-generated with 100 percent confidence and flagged unusual facial patterns with 48 percent confidence.

Hive AI detected manipulation across multiple video frames, classifying all but 20 seconds of audio as AI-generated. Hiya AI Voice Detection also confirmed the audio was AI-created.

Similar deepfake scams involving former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and businessman Gautam Adani featured nearly identical audio scripts, differing only in names and earnings claims.

What does the fake website do?

The website claims that a software called Quantum AI can help individuals earn Rs 2 million per month by investing just Rs 21,000. It features fabricated testimonials from people allegedly earning millions with minimal investment. Users are asked to fill out a form with their contact information, likely to collect personal data and potentially defraud them.

A screenshot of the fake website shows the contact form. (Source: Inirliff.com/Screenshot)

The website also claims to have partnerships with major Indian companies like Tata Group, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Reliance, and the State Bank of India. However, there is no evidence that any of these companies are involved with Quantum AI.

A screenshot of the fake website shows alleged partnerships. (Source: Inirliff.com/Screenshot)

What is Quantum AI?

We've previously fact-checked similar deepfake videos featuring figures like Elon Musk and Narayana Murthy promoting fraudulent schemes involving software like Quantum AI. These claims are false. Quantum AI does not exist as legitimate software to help people earn money; scammers use such terms to make their schemes seem more credible.

The verdict

Deepfake videos of Sudha Murthy and Narayana Murthy have been used to falsely promote a project that supposedly allows people to earn Rs 100,000 a day. The videos and associated claims are part of a deceptive scam.