Over 200 victims lose ₹2 crore in Karnataka's AI Trump video scam

Haveri SP Anshu Kumar said a case has been registered at Haveri police station after a victim lost around ₹6 lakh in the same fraudulent app

Over 200 residents of Karnataka have fallen prey to a new fraud where cybercriminals used an AI-generated video of former US President Donald Trump, convincing them to invest for higher returns. The victims have reportedly lost over ₹2 crore in the scam.

 

While over 15 people have reportedly been duped under the scam in Haveri alone, many people from Bengaluru, Tumakuru, and Mangaluru have also fallen prey to it, the police said, as reported by The Indian Express.

 

Speaking to news agency ANI, Haveri SP Anshu Kumar said, "They (accused) made an app named 'Donald Trump rental app'. The victims, while clicking the link, download the app. Then the app asks them to deposit a registration amount... By convincing the victim, they take a huge amount, and then they abscond."

 

 

He further added that a case has already been registered at the Haveri police station, where the victim has lost around ₹6 lakh in the same app.

 

"We have information that there are a lot of victims. We request the victims to come forward and file a complaint at their nearest police stations..." the SP said. 

 

A victim's ordeal 

A 38-year-old advocate, who filed the complaint against the fraud, told The Indian Express that he deposited ₹5,93,240 in the scheme between January 25 and April 4 this year.

 

“In January this year, I came across shorts on YouTube that offered to invest in the Donald Trump Hotel. Upon clicking the link, it directed me to download a mobile application. I was asked to fill out a form, which I did. It also asked me to add bank account details and IFSC code,” he said.

 

The advocate said he was first asked to deposit ₹1,500, after which ₹30 was credited to his account daily. He could only withdraw the money once it reached ₹300. He further added that since the payments were consistent and he was able to withdraw, they encouraged him to invest more. 

 

"It started with ₹5,000 and ended at ₹1,00,000. Finally, they asked me to pay taxes to withdraw the money, but later they did not return the money,” the advocate said. He further claimed that the scammers often promised huge returns in a very short time, claiming that investing ₹1,00,000 would double in just 24 hours.

 

"I know many people who are in the police, government departments, and businessmen who have lost their money,” he claimed.