I4C: Flags fake welfare schemes, cashback scams in ads

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has warned of rising financial fraud through deceptive Facebook and Instagram advertisements that impersonate political leaders to promote fake welfare schemes and cashback offers. In an advisory dated 19 October 2026, its National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) said victims were being persuaded to pay supposed fees or taxes, or authorise payments while expecting to receive money.^[1]

The four-page advisory identifies impersonation of the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and state Chief Ministers. It says advertisements use manipulated or deepfake videos to make public figures appear to announce financial assistance for people in need. The purported government schemes are fraudulent, according to NCTAU.^[1]

The unit describes two methods of extracting money: repeated demands for advance payments before a promised welfare benefit is released, and fake scratch-card or spin-and-win rewards that lead victims into approving outgoing transactions. Both begin with an advertisement offering money but end with money leaving the victim’s account, the advisory says.^[1]

From a political leader’s video to demands for fees

According to NCTAU, the advertisements appear mainly on Meta platforms and may contain phone numbers through which people are invited to claim assistance. Others direct users to a WhatsApp conversation or a fraudulent website.^[1]

The manipulated videos provide an apparent endorsement by a public figure. In this context, a deepfake is fabricated or altered media that makes a person appear to say or do something they did not. NCTAU describes videos ostensibly showing leaders announcing and promoting the supposed schemes.^[1]

Once contact is established, fraudsters demand money under several labels: taxes, processing fees, registration charges, verification fees and other administrative expenses. NCTAU says victims are coerced into making repeated payments to obtain the promised funds, resulting in substantial cumulative financial losses.^[1]

The payment demand is therefore presented as a step towards receiving assistance, rather than as a purchase or investment. In the sequence described by the advisory, victims continue paying purported charges while seeking the benefit advertised in the public figure’s name.^[1]

NCTAU also reports calls from international numbers, predominantly numbers carrying Pakistan’s +92 country code. Callers tell recipients that they have been randomly selected to receive funds. The advisory specifically urges caution and non-engagement when callers or WhatsApp accounts using those numbers purport to represent public figures or their offices.^[1]

Cashback offers that authorise an outgoing payment

The cashback version uses a different inducement. According to NCTAU, advertisements take people to websites displaying scratch-card or spin-and-win offers, with the prospect of a reward used to draw them into a payment transaction.^[1]

The unit says victims are tricked into approving UPI collect requests from fraudulent merchants. A collect request asks the recipient to authorise a payment; in the cases described, approval sends money to the fraudster rather than delivering the advertised cashback.^[1]

In some instances, the website redirects the victim to a payment application. The person is then persuaded to enter a transaction PIN on the pretext that this is necessary to receive prize money. The resulting transaction debits the victim’s account, the advisory says.^[1]

NCTAU draws a clear distinction between receiving funds and authorising their transfer: a UPI PIN is used to approve payments, not to receive money. Its recommendations call for checking transaction details before approving a collect request or entering the PIN.^[1]

Official checks and the wider concern over scam advertising

The advisory asks people to check welfare-scheme details on the official website of the government department concerned before acting on a social media advertisement. It also recommends verifying both the purpose of a requested fee and the identity of its recipient.^[1]

For anyone claiming to represent a government department, NCTAU recommends confirmation through official channels and, where doubt persists, an in-person visit to the office. Its guidance treats verification of the scheme and verification of the person seeking payment as separate checks.^[1]

The unit also cautions against sharing Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, one-time passwords or UPI PINs with unknown people. Videos and voice recordings featuring public officials should have their claims checked against official sources, it says.^[1]

The warning follows a separate regulatory push concerning fraudulent investment advertising. In a press release dated 6 November 2025, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said it had formally approached major social media platforms and internet search providers about mechanisms to prevent misuse of their services for fraud.^[2]

SEBI sought advertiser verification so that only SEBI-registered entities could advertise investment products and services. It also called for distinct labels identifying authentic, regulated trading applications in app stores. Those requests concerned the securities market, rather than the welfare-scheme and cashback impersonation described in I4C’s October advisory.^[2]

For the scams covered by its latest warning, NCTAU asks that fraudulent applications and scam incidents be reported immediately through helpline 1930 or the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.^[1]

References

^[1] National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. “ADVISORY”, TAU/ADV/019, dated 19 October 2026. Publisher: i4c.mha.gov.in.

^[2] Securities and Exchange Board of India. “SEBI Intensifies Efforts to Combat Online Investment Scams, Calls for Greater Collaboration from Social Media Platforms”, PR No.69/2025, dated 6 November 2025. Publisher: sebi.gov.in.