The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) on Monday warned of a rise in financial fraud involving deceptive Facebook and Instagram advertisements that use manipulated videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the finance minister and chief ministers to promote fake government welfare schemes.
In an advisory, the National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) said fraudsters lured victims with promises of financial assistance and fake cashback rewards, then extracted money through purported taxes, processing fees and registration charges.
The victims were directed to phone numbers, WhatsApp chats or fraudulent websites, while some received calls from international numbers, particularly those with Pakistan's +92 country code, claiming they had been selected to receive financial benefits, the advisory showed.
In cashback scams, victims were redirected to scratch-card or spin-and-win websites and tricked into approving UPI collect requests or entering their UPI PINs under the pretext of receiving prize money.
These transactions instead transferred money from their accounts to fraudsters.
The I4C said victims often made repeated payments, resulting in substantial cumulative losses. It also flagged advertisements that appeared under the category of political advertising.
The agency urged people to verify welfare schemes through official government websites and confirm the identity of anyone claiming to represent a government department.
It advised users to exercise caution before sharing Aadhaar, PAN, bank details or one-time passwords (OTPs) with unknown persons.
The advisory also cautioned people against trusting videos and voice recordings of public officials without checking claims through official sources.
Users should review the recipient and purpose of every UPI request before approving it, the agency said, emphasising that a UPI PIN authorises payments rather than receipts.