Delhi: The government’s fact-checking unit, PIB Fact Check, on Thursday dismissed a viral video that falsely portrays Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promoting a high-return investment scheme.

The agency warned the public to remain alert and avoid falling for such misleading content circulating online.

Viral video declared fake

In a post on social media platform X, PIB Fact Check clarified that the video, which claims an investment of Rs 22,000 could generate returns of Rs 5.5 lakh within a week, is fabricated and created using artificial intelligence.

“A viral video of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman claims to offer Rs 5,50,000 in a week in lieu of an initial investment amount of Rs 22,000. The video is fake and AI generated,” the agency stated.

No government endorsement

The fact-checking body stressed that neither the Government of India nor the Finance Minister is associated with or endorsing any such investment scheme.

“Neither the Government nor the Finance Minister is endorsing any such investment scheme,” it reiterated.

Public urged to stay cautious

PIB Fact Check advised citizens to exercise caution and verify any such claims through official government sources before making financial decisions.

It also encouraged users to report and flag suspicious content in order to prevent the spread of misinformation.

“Stay vigilant. Verify such claims through official government sources only,” the agency said.

Earlier warning on SBI phishing attempt

In a related development last month, PIB Fact Check flagged another misleading message circulating on social media. The message claimed that accounts linked to the State Bank of India’s YONO application would be blocked unless users immediately updated their Aadhaar details.

The message instructed recipients to download and install an APK file titled “SBI KYC AADHAR UPDATE” to avoid service disruption.

PIB had warned that this message appeared to be a phishing attempt designed to trick users into sharing sensitive personal and banking information.

IANS inputs