#FactCheck - AI-Generated Video Falsely Linked to Protests in Iran
Amid protests against rising inflation in Iran, a video is being widely shared on social media showing people gathering on streets at night while using mobile phone flashlights. The video is being circulated with the claim that it shows recent protests in Iran. Cyber Peace Foundation’s research found that the video being shared as visuals from the ongoing protests in Iran is not real. Our investigation revealed that the viral video is AI-generated and has no connection with actual events on the ground.
Claim
On January 11, 2026, an Instagram user shared the video with a caption written in Spanish. The Hindi translation of the caption reads: “The Iranian government shut down the lights of protesters, but that did not stop them from remaining on the streets demanding that the Ayatollahs step down from power.”The post link, its archived version, and screenshots can be seen below: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTXqzayjqFz/
FactCheck:
To verify the claim, we extracted keyframes from the viral video and conducted a Google reverse image search.During this process, we found the same video uploaded on Instagram on January 11, 2026. In that post, the user explicitly stated that the video was created using AI. The caption reads that the streetlights were turned off to hide the scale of protesters, but people used their phone lights to show their presence, adding:
“I created this video using AI, inspired by tonight’s protests (January 10, 2026) in Tehran, Iran.” Link to the post and screenshot can be seen below: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTWXsHajNvl/
To further verify the authenticity of the video, we scanned it using multiple AI detection tools.Hive Moderation flagged the video as 97 percent AI-generated.
We also scanned the video using another AI detection tool, Wasitai, which likewise identified the video as AI-generated.
Conclusion
Our investigation confirms that the video being shared as footage from protests in Iran is not real. The viral video has been created using artificial intelligence and is being falsely linked to the ongoing protests. The claim circulating on social media is false and misleading.
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Executive Summary:
Following India’s heavy defeat to South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026, the team has been facing intense trolling on social media. Amid this backdrop, a video of Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has gone viral. In the clip, Gambhir can be heard saying,“Even people who have nothing to do with cricket have made comments. An IPL owner also wrote about split coaching. It’s surprising. People must stay in their own domain. If we don’t interfere in someone else’s domain, they have no right to interfere in ours.”The video is being shared with the claim that Gambhir made these remarks recently in response to trolling after India’s loss to South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026. However, research by the CyberPeace found the claim to be misleading. The viral video is not related to the T20 World Cup 2026. It is from December 2025 and pertains to India’s Test series defeat against South Africa. An old video is being circulated with a misleading context.
Claim
An Instagram user, ‘rns_news200’, shared the viral video on February 23, 2026, claiming that after the loss to South Africa, head coach Gautam Gambhir issued a stern warning to Indian fans. The caption stated that Suryakumar Yadav was heavily trolled on social media after the match, and Gambhir responded strongly, saying players should not be unfairly targeted and the team deserves support, especially during difficult times.
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we conducted a keyword search on Google. We found the same video on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of sports journalist Vikrant Gupta. The video was posted on December 7, 2025. According to the caption, Gambhir was expressing dissatisfaction following India’s performance.
We also found the longer version of the video on the official website of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), where it was published on December 6, 2025. In the full video, Gambhir is clearly seen speaking about India’s defeat to South Africa in a Test match. The specific segment that went viral appears around the 1 minute 58 second mark.
Conclusion
Our research found that the viral claim about Gautam Gambhir’s video being linked to trolling after the T20 World Cup 2026 is misleading. The clip is from December 2025 and relates to India’s Test series defeat against South Africa — not the T20 World Cup 2026.An old video is being reshared with a false and misleading context.
Introduction
Google India announced sachet loans on the Google Pay application to help small businesses in the country. Google India said that merchants in India often need smaller loans, hence, the tech giant launched sachet loans on the Gpay application. The company will provide loans to small businesses, which can be repaid in easier repayment instalments. To provide the load services, Google Pay has partnered with DMI Finance. This move comes at the Google for India, 2023, the flagship event to launch the Indian interventions planned by the big tech.
What is a Sachet Loan?
The loan system is the primary backbone of the global banking system. Since we have seen a massive transition towards the digital mode of transactions and banking operations, many online platforms have emerged. With the advent of QR codes, the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) has been rampantly used by Indians for making small or petty payments. Seeing this, Sachet loans made an advent as well, Sachet loans are essentially small-ticket loans ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh, with repayment tenures between 7 days and 12 months. This nano-credit addresses immediate financial needs and is designed for swift approval and disbursement. Satchel loans are one of the most sought-after loan forms in the Western world. The ease of accessibility and easy repayment options have made it a successful form of money lending, which in turn has sparked the interest of the tech giant Google to execute similar operations in India.
Google Pay
Pertaining to the fact that UPI payments are the most preferred form of online payment, google came out with GPay in 2013 and now enjoys a user base of 67 million Indians. Google Pay has a 36.10% mobile application market share in India, and 26% of the UPI payments made have been through Google Pay. Google Pay adoption for in-store payments in India was higher in 2023 than it was in early 2019, signalling a growing use among consumers. The numbers shown here refer to the share of respondents who indicated they used Google Pay in the last 12 months, either for POS transactions with a mobile device in stores and restaurants or for online shopping. Eight out of 10 respondents from India indicated they had used Google Pay in a POS setting between April 2022 and March 2023, with an additional seven out of 10 saying they used Google Pay during this same time for online payments.
Pertaining to the Indian spectrum, the following aspects should be kept into consideration:
- PhonePe, Google Pay and Paytm accounted for nearly 96% of all UPI transactions by value in March
- PhonePe remained the top UPI app, processing 407.63 Cr transactions worth INR 7.07 Lakh Cr
- While Google Pay and Paytm retained second and third positions, respectively, Amazon Pay pushed CRED to the fifth spot in terms of the number of transactions
- Walmart-owned PhonePe, Google Pay and Paytm continued their dominance in India’s UPI payments space, together processing 94% of payments in March 2023.
- According to data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the top three apps accounted for nearly 96% of all UPI transactions by value. This translates to about 841.91 Cr transactions worth INR 13.44 Lakh Cr between the three apps.
Conclusion
The big tech giant Google.org has been fundamental in creating and provisioning best-in-class services which are easily accessible to all the netizens. Satchel loans are the new services introduced by the platform and the widespread access of Gpay will go a long way in providing financial services and ease to the deprived and needy lot of the Indian population. This transition can also be seen by other payment portals like Paypal and Paytm, which clearly shows India's massive potential in leading the world of online banking and UPI transactions. As per stats, 40% of global online banking transactions take place in India. These aspects, coupled with the cores of Digital India and Make in India, clearly show how India is the global destination for investment in the current era.
References
- https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/google-enters-retail-loan-business-in-india-11697697999246.html
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1389649/google-pay-adoption-in-india/#:~:text=Eight%20out%20of%2010%20respondents,same%20time%20for%20online%20payments
- https://playtoday.co/blog/stats/google-pay-statistics/#:~:text=67%20million%20active%20users%20of%20Google%20Pay%20are%20in%20India.&text=Google%20Pay%20users%20in%20India,in%2Dstore%20and%20online%20purchases.
- https://inc42.com/buzz/phonepe-google-pay-paytm-process-94-of-upi-transactions-march-2023/
Executive Summary:
Social media is buzzing with a link that claims to offer an iPhone 15 as a gift from LuLu Hypermarket, presented as part of Holi celebrations. This article examines the deceptive tactics behind this fraudulent offer and provides guidance on recognizing and avoiding such scams.
False Claim:
The link being shared is misleading and falsely claims that LuLu Hypermarket is giving away free iPhone 15 phones. This is taking advantage of the Holi festival to trick unsuspecting people. When users click on the link, they are redirected multiple times and end up on a page with LuLu Hypermarket's photo and some simple questions. Fake comments are also used to make the offer seem genuine, but it is all a deception.
The Deceptive Scheme:
The plan uses psychological tricks by linking the offer to a famous brand and a popular celebration. The landing page's simplicity and phoney comments try to make users trust it and feel like they need to act fast, so they'll join the scam.
The Fraudulent Campaign Analysed:
The scammers are using psychological tactics to manipulate people. They're exploiting the trust people have in LuLu Hypermarket and the excitement around the new iPhone 15 during the Holi festival. The fake questionnaire serves no real purpose, but it's a way to engage users and make the scam seem legitimate. Testimonials claiming people have successfully received the iPhone 15 are also fake, designed to create a false sense of credibility. Users are prompted to select a "gift box," which adds an interactive element to draw them in further. When a user selects a box, they're falsely congratulated on winning the iPhone 15, giving them a sense of accomplishment. Finally, users are urged to share the link via WhatsApp to "claim" the gift, spreading the scam to more potential victims.
What do we Analyse? :
- We analyse the deceptive tactics employed by the scam, including psychological manipulation, false engagement techniques, and fake testimonials, all aimed at convincing users of the offer's legitimacy.
Link : (https://sophisticateddistort[.]top/nTiwpTTTT526?llue1696559991144)
- It is important to note that at this particular point, there has not been any official declaration or a proper confirmation of an offer made by Lulu Hypermarket So, people must be very careful when encountering such messages because they are often employed as lures in phishing attacks or misinformation campaigns. Before engaging or transmitting such claims, it is always advisable to authenticate the information from trustworthy sources in order to protect oneself online and prevent the spread of wrongful information
- The campaign is hosted on a third party domain instead of any official Website of LuLu Hypermarket, this raised suspicion. Also the domain was registered last year.
- The intercepted request revealed a connection to a China-linked analytical service, Baidu in the backend.
- Domain Name: sophisticateddistort.top
- Registry Domain ID: D20230629G10001G_04181852-top
- Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.west263.com
- Registrar URL: www.west263.com
- Updated Date: 2023-07-01T02:55:34Z
- Creation Date: 2023-06-29T06:05:00Z
- Registry Expiry Date: 2024-06-29T06:05:00Z
- Registrar: Chengdu west dimension digital
- Registrant State/Province: Shan Xi
- Registrant Country: CN (China)
- Name Server: curt.ns.cloudflare.com
- Name Server: harlee.ns.cloudflare.com
Note: Cybercriminal used Cloudflare technology to mask the actual IP address of the fraudulent website.
CyberPeace Advisory:
- Do not open those messages received from social platforms in which you think that such messages are suspicious or unsolicited. In the beginning, your own discretion can become your best weapon.
- Falling prey to such scams could compromise your entire system, potentially granting unauthorised access to your microphone, camera, text messages, contacts, pictures, videos, banking applications, and more. Keep your cyber world safe against any attacks.
- Never, in any case, reveal such sensitive data as your login credentials and banking details to entities you haven't validated as reliable ones.
- Before sharing any content or clicking on links within messages, always verify the legitimacy of the source. Protect not only yourself but also those in your digital circle.
- For the sake of the truthfulness of offers and messages, find the official sources and companies directly. Verify the authenticity of alluring offers before taking any action.
Conclusion:
During the festive season, as we engage in merrymaking and online activities, we should be mindful of fraudster's exploitation strategies. Another instance is the illegitimate Lulu Hypermarket offer of the upcoming iPhone 15. With the knowledge and carefulness, we can report any suspicious actions to avoid being victims of fraud in this way. Keep in mind the fact that legitimate offers are usually issued by trustworthy sources while if, the offer looks too good to be true, then it is rather a scam.
