In June 2025, Athenian Tech (AT) noticed a sophisticated scam campaign impersonating the chairperson of a major Indian conglomerate. The attackers used AI‑generated deepfake videos and a fabricated news article styled to resemble a leading national media publication. The video falsely linked the executive and several well‑known figures from the corporate sector and the government to a false government‑backed investment platform.
The manipulated narrative was amplified through paid social media advertisements, which redirected victims to an unregulated offshore trading portal. Once users clicked the ads, accounts were automatically created in their names without consent, exposing them to risks of identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorised misuse of personal documents. The campaign posed serious reputational risks for the company and created a large‑scale trust deficit among the public.
AT detected the operation early through its Prime intelligence platform, which monitors scam ecosystems across the Dark Web, Deep Web, Telegram channels, and global ad networks. AT reported the findings to the affected organisation, relevant regulators, and platform operators, warning that the deepfake‑driven impersonation campaign could escalate into widespread financial and identity‑theft incidents.
Impact
AT provided comprehensive intelligence and takedown evidence, the responsibility for remediation rested with the company, platform providers, and regulators, highlighting the urgent need for stronger national frameworks to address deepfake‑enabled brand misuse and identity‑theft campaigns.
