An individual fell victim to a scam where unidentified individuals, utilizing Artificial Intelligence-based tools, defrauded him of Rs 40,000. The fraudsters posed as a former colleague and made contact through WhatsApp video calls.

Upon receiving the information on Friday, the Cyber Wing of the Kerala police swiftly took action. They traced the money trail and promptly contacted the relevant bank to block the amount.

The incident involved Radhakrishnan, who resides in Kozhikode. He received a video call on WhatsApp from someone claiming to be his former colleague from Andhra Pradesh.

Scammers are employing innovative tactics to deceive people and obtain their money. “The scammers used an AI-based video interface to impersonate his friend and requested money,” explained Cyber Wing SP Hari Sankar in a statement to PTI.

Sankar further revealed that Radhakrishnan recognized the person on the video call as one of his former colleagues and, consequently, responded accordingly.

“However, when he received another call asking for more money, he directly contacted his friend and discovered that he had been scammed. Radhakrishnan immediately contacted us, enabling us to block the amount,” Sankar added.

The official from the Cyber Wing urged the public to reach out to the Kerala Cyber Help Line at ‘1930’ if they have any suspicions regarding such phone calls.

The scammers employed a basic AI-based video interface that only allowed for a blurred background and minimal movement of the chin, eyes, and lips, according to Sankar’s statement.