Deepfake 'Quantum AI' Ad Leads to ₹1.2 Million Loss for Dehradun Senior

A 76‑year‑old resident of Dehradun, India, has lost more than Rs 1.2 million in an online trading scam and filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station. He alleged that a foreign company named Naka Solutions, London (UK), along with its Indian agents, deceived him by showing fake profits and repeatedly pressuring him to send money.

According to the complaint, the victim was first drawn in by an online advertisement that misused the name and photo of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The ad falsely claimed that the Indian government was promoting a trading platform called “Quantum AI.” This deepfake‑driven scam had already been exposed in August, when manipulated videos appeared to show the Finance Minister endorsing the platform. 

Believing the promotion to be genuine, the senior citizen clicked on the link and was soon contacted by a woman claiming to represent the company’s Bengaluru support team. She registered his account and told him that senior citizens could begin trading with Rs 16,600 instead of the usual Rs 21,000.

The victim later received calls from a man in the UK who introduced himself as his account advisor. He persuaded him to deposit larger sums with promises of high profits. To reinforce the illusion, the company credited his online dashboard with fake balances, showing his account swelling to USD 82,018, about Rs 7.2 million, within two months. 

When he attempted to withdraw funds, however, the company began demanding additional charges. He was instructed to send payments to multiple bank accounts across India. The fraudsters eventually claimed that the money had been transferred to an Indian agent named Kumar Merchant, who demanded Rs 1.1 million as tax. After extracting Rs 250,000, the agent cut off all communication and disappeared.

Realising he had been duped, the victim approached the Cyber Crime Police, who registered a case and launched an investigation.

BrokersView Reminds You

The incident highlights how scammers exploit deepfakes, false endorsements, and fabricated dashboards to manipulate trust and drain victims of their savings through fraudulent fees.

Promises of guaranteed profits and repeated charges are clear signs of financial fraud. Investors should remain vigilant against such schemes.

Report investment fraud to BrokersView for public exposure.