Fact Check: Deepfake video shows Nirmala Sitharaman promoting investment platform

Many investment applications promise high returns with minimal effort, attracting thousands of users seeking quick profits. However, not all such platforms are genuine. Fraudsters often create fake apps that mimic legitimate companies to deceive investors. They use fake advertisements, manipulated videos, and false endorsements to gain trust. Once users deposit money, the app becomes inaccessible or funds disappear without a trace. To stay safe, investors should verify company details, read reviews, and use trusted financial platforms. Awareness and caution are essential to prevent online investment fraud, which is rapidly increasing with the misuse of digital technology and artificial intelligence.

Amid this, a video is circulating on the internet. In the video, a reporter targets Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming that he lost a huge amount of money by using an online platform. After that, Nirmala Sitharaman is seen explaining about the application and how people can earn a large amount of money through it.

In the video, the reporter accuses Nirmala Sitharaman of deceiving people. In reply, she explains that the platform was temporarily closed as the number of participants exceeded the limit. She says the reporter likely deposited money into a fake website and became a victim of scammers. She adds that registration is being reopened for 24 hours through the official link only, with no paid activation. The ₹22,000 amount is an investment under users’ control, and AI trading can help earn up to ₹85,000 daily. She claims it is an official government project approved by the Finance Ministry and SEBI.

A screenshot of the claim is provided below.

Fact Check:

The video is a deepfake. The original footage has been digitally manipulated to make it appear as if Nirmala Sitharaman is endorsing an investment app. In reality, she never made any such statement or promoted any online platform.

To verify the claim, we conducted a customised keyword search to find any reports or videos suggesting that the Finance Minister had endorsed the investment platform. However, no such reports or videos were found on any credible platforms.

We extract keyframes from the video. One of these keyframes was reverse-searched using Google, which led to the original video published on ET Now official YouTube channel.

The video features FM Nirmala Sitharaman On GST 2.0. It was published on 25th September 2025. In the Description ET now mentioned, Nirmala Sitharaman exclusive interview post GST 2.0 implementation. To know what FM has said on this watch this exclusive tictac only with ET Now.

We reviewed the full interview and found no mention of any trading or investment platform.

In one part, we noticed that Nirmala Sitharaman’s face changed slightly, confirming that the viral video had been digitally altered.

 We also contacted the ET Now authorities for further clarification. Once we receive a response, we will update this section.

Earlier, TeluguPost had already debunked another video of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that was circulating online, which falsely claimed she was encouraging people to invest in an online application.

Hence we found the claim is false. The viral video claiming Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promoted an investment application is digitally manipulated. The minister did not endorse any such investment scheme.