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3 hours ago
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A New Breed of Scam
This is not an isolated incident. In mid-2025, a rising number of users across India are being targeted by deceptive game apps advertised via sponsored posts on Meta-owned platforms (Instagram and Facebook). What makes them more convincing—and dangerous—is that these ads feature deepfaked or AI-generated clips of celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, CarryMinati, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh, Anant Ambani, and others, who appear to endorse apps that promise easy earnings.
Your own experience, and similar stories from your friends, relatives, and neighbors, is part of a growing scam ecosystem that leverages public trust in celebrities, manipulative social proof, and algorithmic loopholes to deceive unsuspecting users.
🔍 How the Scam Works – Anatomy of Sponsored Fraud Ads
You noted the following patterns during your personal investigation. Let’s expand on each point based on deeper research and digital forensics analysis.
🎬 1. Ad Format & Content
Ad Type: Sponsored (paid promotion to boost reach)
Video Style:
Deepfaked podcast-style interviews
Montage of fake “live earnings” on dashboards
Screen recordings of apps showing money being added to wallets
Public figure "statements" with subtitles in regional languages
Fake news headlines showing fake earnings
⚠️ These videos are either AI-generated using deepfake tools or are edited from existing content, making it appear as if public figures endorse the product.
🧑🤝🧑 2. Use of Public Figures
Public figures featured (without consent):
Shah Rukh Khan
Virat Kohli
CarryMinati
Bhuvan Bam
Harbhajan Singh
Yash (Kannada Actor)
Anant Ambani
Shahid Kapoor
and Many more.
💡 Why this works: In India, celebrity trust is extremely high, and people assume any content featuring these personalities is legitimate. This psychological manipulation increases conversion rates for scammers.
💬 3. Comments Manipulation & Social Proof
Advertiser pages usually have 1–2 posts only.
Top comments are positive, often from same id or bot accounts.
Negative comments are either:
Hidden with “See more comments”,
Pushed down
Auto-flagged and hidden by Meta's moderation
🚨 Many commenters complain about not receiving money after withdrawal. When they contact support:
They're told to invest more to “unlock” withdrawals.
They're given false timelines (e.g., “wait 36 hours”), but never receive money—even after months or years.
📉 User Losses, Patterns, and Testimonies
Through your case study and crowd feedback:
Losses range from ₹500 to ₹15,000
Users say the app:
Let’s them earn ₹200–₹800 initially to build trust
Then locks the wallet
Requests more deposits (minimum ₹1,000–₹5,000)
Never releases funds
📱 Some victims are elderly people, homemakers, and students who believed these were real earning opportunities.
🤖Algorithmic Complicity — Why Meta Platforms Approve These Ads
🤔 Why do Instagram & Facebook allow such ads?
Meta’s ad algorithm automates ad approval using AI-based filters. Here’s how the scam bypasses them:
Language switching: Ads are shown in regional dialects that AI moderation may not yet detect effectively.
Multiple new accounts: Scammers create fresh ad accounts from different regions and IPs.
Visual similarity to legitimate apps: The scams mimic real app layouts (like Dream11, Paytm Games).
Quick ad turnover: These ads often disappear within 24–48 hours, faster than manual review cycles.
Legal & Ethical Concerns
🧩 Why aren't celebrities taking action?
Most celebrities:
Are not aware of the scam until it trends.
Have no legal mechanism to detect deepfakes early.
May take civil action (defamation, impersonation) only if their legal team is notified.
⚖️ Why isn't Meta taking action?
Despite policy guidelines:
Meta often reacts only after mass reports.
Ad revenue from scam campaigns may create an ethical grey zone.
Moderation in non-English regional ads is still poor.
📌 Notably, Meta India has been penalized before for failing to prevent misleading political or medical ads. Yet the same vigilance hasn’t extended to scam gaming ads.
🧠 Key Questions We Must Ask
These are the most important ethical and societal questions raised by your study:
❓ Why would public figures promote scam apps?
❓ Why don’t public figures take strong legal action?
❓ Why do social media platforms allow such ads?
❓ Why is there no stronger action against scammers?
❓ Why we trust on these?
🛑 Action Plan — What You Can Do
🛡️ If You See Such an Ad:
Do NOT click or download the app
Report the ad using Instagram/Facebook’s “Report Ad” option
Leave a warning comment for others (if not filtered)
Warn your community: Share the scam in WhatsApp groups or Facebook communities
📢Demand for Accountability
🚨 We urge:
To Social Media Platforms
Improve ad moderation for regional languages
Increase manual review for financial apps
Use deepfake detection AI before ad approval
Show “Verified Advertiser” badges
To Celebrities & Influencers:
Regularly monitor your likeness across platforms
Issue public disclaimers if your image is misused
Consider legal action to set precedence
To Government (CERT-IN, MeitY, Cybercrime):
Launch public awareness campaigns
Penalize platforms for enabling scams
Ban or block scam apps on Indian app stores
Funny moments:
- In one video, Cricketer Virat Kohli Showing a mobile app and Said that "I will not get salvation if I lie, you will get to earn so much money with this mobile application."
- In one video, Rohit Sharma appear with a Chicken Hat and Said "Indians are Earning in lakhs using this chicken, per day and a bald man in a white shirt is talking to someone "Ye To Latest News Hai (this is the latest news)" appear (meme from the Movie "Tarzen the Wonder Car").
🧾 Conclusion
What started as a personal observation has uncovered a disturbing yet rapidly growing scam ecosystem that combines the worst of AI deepfakes, ad fraud, and unregulated tech platforms.
🛑 Final Take:
Do not trust ANY social media ad that promises high earnings with celebrity endorsements.In 2025, seeing is no longer believing.
