Incidents that exposed the dark side of technology

There have been a few celebrities who recently went through some scary instances recently that shed light on the darker side of technology. From AI celebrity impersonators and fake arrest threats to online scams and shocking customer service complaints, scammers are getting more creative with technology and using well known faces to trick people.

One of the most-scary instances was with actor Sonu Sood. The actor had his identity stolen through a deepfake video call. He received a call from a fraudster who pretended to be him and offered to help out financially to a family who needed money for medical treatment. After coming across the video Sonu posted it online and warned people to not trust any unknown video calls.

The actor Anup Soni also fell victim to an AI impersonator. In May 2024, he revealed a manipulated video which contained footage from Crime Patrol and included a fake voice created using AI. The video included the actor encouraging people to place bets on matches via Telegram. He made clear that this was fake and warned people not to be fooled. Another incident happened recently to television actress Vidya Malavade. The actress received a call from someone threatening to cut off her electricity even though she had paid for it. They suggested she download an app to sort this. Vidya decided she would not take the risk and said she would rather use a candle instead of risking her bank account. Interestingly, she plays a woman who falls victim to a digital arrest scam in Scam 2024 – The Digital Arrest Story which is currently streaming on Story TV. Actor Vineet Raina’s mother also had a scare. She received a call saying her son had been arrested. She received a video call on WhatsApp from a man in uniform. Vineet was filming in an area with no good network so couldn’t get in contact straight away. Luckily his mother was aware of digital scams and AI impersonators so stayed calm.

Actress Soni Razdan also had an experience with a fake customs officer. She received a call from someone accusing her of ordering illegal drugs through a parcel. They asked for her Aadhaar details and money and threatened to involve the police. She posted about this on Instagram and tagged Mumbai Police. She warned people not to fall for these threatening calls.

Not all of these complaints were related to cybercrime. Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee had concerns when his order from Swiggy wasn’t delivered on November 3rd. 3 days later he posted an open letter tagging the Prime Minister and West Bengal Chief Minister. This shows how important it is to hold people accountable for their delivery services on apps especially when it comes to food that needs to be delivered quickly.

Actor Rahul Bose had a memorable experience at a luxury hotel. In July 2019 he posted a video questioning why he was being charged Rs 442.50 for 2 bananas which had been labelled as a fruit platter. This resulted in the Chandigarh Excise and Taxation Department fining the hotel Rs 25,000 for charging tax on fresh fruit (which is GST free). It also inspired others to post about their expensive hotel bills.

These instances show how problematic digital scams, AI deepfakes, impersonators and questionable customer services are becoming.

It reminds us that celebrities can be targeted just like regular people.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suhas Sistu

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Suhas Sistu, born in a family with education background, brought up with good principles and education. Though, coming from Engineering backdrop, his love towards language and passion towards cinema made him to pursue career in film journalism. Started his career as a freelance content writer for some Youtube channels, he later joined HANS India as a translator. From translator to Reporter/Sr. Sub-Editor, his journey is continuing in our organisation.

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