The Kerala Police announced on Monday that they have successfully traced one of the individuals involved in the AI-enabled cheating case. Kozhikode DCP KE Baiju stated, “We have traced the owner of the bank account which received the money. The name of the account holder cannot be revealed at this time.”
The victim, Radhakrishnan, a resident of Kozhikode, was deceived by unidentified individuals who utilized Artificial Intelligence-based tools to engage him in WhatsApp video calls, impersonating a former colleague. Radhakrishnan reported that three of his friends also received similar video calls from these scammers, with two of them being contacted by fraudsters posing as Radhakrishnan himself.
The Kerala police Cyber Wing has successfully traced the owner of the Gujarat-based bank account where the funds were deposited. Initially, the money was transferred to a bank account in Ratnanagar, Gujarat, and later sent to a bank in Maharashtra. The police have taken the necessary steps to block the amount and ensure its return to Radhakrishnan. Additionally, they are investigating the possibility of Radhakrishnan’s phone being hacked.
According to Cyber Wing SP Hari Sankar, the scammers employed an AI-based video interface to impersonate Radhakrishnan’s friend and request money. Radhakrishnan initially believed he was speaking to his former colleague on the video call. However, when he received a subsequent call requesting additional funds, he contacted the person directly and discovered the scam. Radhakrishnan promptly alerted the police, leading to the successful blocking of the amount.
In light of this incident, the Cyber Wing official urged the public to contact the Kerala Cyber Help Line number ‘1930’ if they suspect any such fraudulent phone calls. He further explained that the scammers employed a basic AI-based video interface known as AI deepfake, which only supported a blurred background, along with basic chin, eyes, and lip movements.
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