#FactCheck -AI-Generated Video Falsely Shows Sachin Tendulkar Promoting Investment Scheme
Executive Summary
A video featuring former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is being widely circulated on social media with the date “12-5-2026” displayed on the screen. In the viral clip, Tendulkar appears to promote an investment scheme, allegedly saying that people investing in the scheme today could earn Rs 80 lakh by the end of the day. Throughout the video, he is seen speaking about investment opportunities and financial returns. However, research conducted by CyberPeace Research Wing found that the video is AI-generated and misleading. The original footage was actually from an event marking the centenary celebrations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Claim
A Facebook user shared the viral video on May 12, 2026, claiming that Sachin Tendulkar was endorsing a high-return investment scheme. The post quickly gained traction on social media platforms.
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we searched the internet using relevant keywords but found no credible media reports suggesting that Tendulkar had endorsed any such investment scheme. As part of our research, we extracted key frames from the viral clip and conducted a reverse image search. During the search, we found the original video uploaded on November 19, 2025, on the YouTube channel of IANS. According to the video description, Tendulkar was attending an event organized to mark the centenary year celebrations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
We further found a similar version of the same video uploaded on November 19, 2025, on the official Facebook page of Times Now, confirming that the footage was unrelated to any investment or financial scheme.
Conclusion
Our research found that the viral video has been manipulated using AI-generated audio or editing techniques to falsely portray Sachin Tendulkar promoting an investment scheme. The original video was from a public event related to Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s centenary celebrations and had no connection to any financial investment platform.
Related Blogs
Executive Summary
A video of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping is being shared on social media. In the video, the two leaders can be seen cooking together and interacting with each other.The video is being linked to the BRICS Summit held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on September 12 and 13, 2026, with the claim that Putin and Xi Jinping were seen in this manner during the summit. The viral claim was found to be false in CyberPeace Research Wing’s research. Our research revealed that the video being shared on social media is not recent. The video dates back to 2018, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping cooked together during the Eastern Economic Forum held in Vladivostok, Russia.
Claim:
A Facebook user shared the viral video with the caption: “Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping enjoyed cooking and sharing a meal together in India. The special camaraderie between the two leaders was on display during the BRICS Summit.” The link to the post, along with an archive link and screenshot, is provided below.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DdOFovfkelC/
Factcheck
To verify the authenticity of the viral claim, we conducted a reverse image search of the keyframes from the video. During the search, we found visuals matching the video on the Armenpress website, published on September 12, 2018. The link to the post and the screenshot are provided below.
https://armenpress.am/en/article/946878
According to the report, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping took a break from the hectic schedule of international diplomacy on Tuesday to make pancakes on the sidelines of an economic forum. Chinese President Xi Jinping was among the prominent leaders attending the event in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok. The forum primarily focused on economic ties and issues related to North Korea.During the event, the two leaders made blini, a traditional Russian pancake, together at an exhibition called “Far East Street”, which showcased the region’s cultural and economic achievements. Photographs showed Putin and Xi Jinping wearing blue aprons as they poured pancake batter onto a griddle and flipped the pancakes. They later enjoyed the pancakes with caviar and vodka. As we continued our research, we found the same video on The Straits Times’ Facebook page, where it was published on September 11, 2018. According to the information provided with the video, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping took a break from the hectic schedule of international diplomacy to make pancakes together on the sidelines of an economic forum. The link to the post and the screenshot are provided below.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1915270415222092
Meanwhile, for context, according to a report by a news agency, the BRICS Summit was underway in Delhi. Saturday was an important day of the summit, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a dinner for several heads of state, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Several leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, attended the special dinner. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping was not present. According to sources cited by the news agency, Xi Jinping did not attend the dinner.
https://ndtv.in/india/chinese-president-xi-jinping-skips-brics-gala-dinner-what-reason-12039666
Conclusion
Our research found that the video showing Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping making pancakes together is not recent and has no connection with the 2026 BRICS Summit held in Delhi. The claim circulating on social media is therefore false and misleading. Further research established that the video dates back to 2018, when Putin and Xi participated in the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia. During the event, the two leaders were seen preparing traditional Russian pancakes, or blini, together at an exhibition showcasing the cultural and economic achievements of Russia’s Far East region. Therefore, the video is being shared with a false context by linking an old 2018 event to the recently held BRICS Summit.
Executive Summary
A video is being shared on social media with the claim that it shows Iran’s attack on a US military base located in Kuwait. It is being claimed that the video is from a recent attack carried out by Iran. CyberPeace Research Wing ’s research found the claim to be false. The research revealed that the video is actually from Panwan, a coastal town in southern Pakistan. The footage was published in connection with reports of a suicide attack carried out by a prominent militant organisation. The video has no connection with the alleged Iranian attack on a US military base in Kuwait.
Claim:
A Facebook post shared in the Sinhala language on July 25, 2026, claimed: “Iran targeted US-controlled Kuwaiti border checkpoints. The Abdali border checkpoint has been completely destroyed.” The post was shared along with a video of around one minute. In the video, a blue truck can be seen entering a secured compound. Within seconds, a massive explosion takes place, followed by a thick cloud of smoke rising into the sky. Text written in Sinhala on the video claimed: “Watch how Iran is attacking the US Abdali border crossing base located on the Kuwait border.”
https://www.facebook.com/reel/979364938493872
https://web.archive.org/web/20260730055635/https://www.facebook.com/reel/979364938493872
Factcheck
As part of the research, keyframes from the viral video were extracted and a reverse image search was conducted. During the search, we found a report published by India Today on July 4, 2026. According to the report, the footage actually shows a suicide attack carried out by the Pakistan-based Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group.
Further research led us to a report about a suicide bombing in Gwadar, Pakistan. According to the report, the BLA claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed that more than 30 security personnel were killed. Journalist Diksha Bisla also shared details about the incident.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1233630812123459
A search on Google Maps showed the Panwan area and a structure along Gwadar Road that resembles the location visible in the viral video.
Conclusion:
CyberPeace Research Wing ’s research found that the claim is false. The viral video is not related to any alleged Iranian attack on a US military base in Kuwait. The footage is from Panwan, a coastal town in southern Pakistan, and was circulated during reports of a suicide attack claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Introduction
Meta is the leader in social media platforms and has been successful in having a widespread network of users and services across global cyberspace. The corporate house has been responsible for revolutionizing messaging and connectivity since 2004. The platform has brought people closer together in terms of connectivity, however, being one of the most popular platforms is an issue as well. Popular platforms are mostly used by cyber criminals to gain unauthorised data or create chatrooms to maintain anonymity and prevent tracking. These bad actors often operate under fake names or accounts so that they are not caught. The platforms like Facebook and Instagram have been often in the headlines as portals where cybercriminals were operating and committing crimes.
To keep the data of the netizen safe and secure Paytm under first of its kind service is offering customers protection against cyber fraud through an insurance policy available for fraudulent mobile transactions up to Rs 10,000 for a premium of Rs 30. The cover ‘Paytm Payment Protect’ is provided through a group insurance policy issued by HDFC Ergo. The company said that the plan is being offered to increase the trust in digital payments, which will push up adoption.
Meta’s Cybersecurity
Meta has one of the best cyber security in the world but that diest mean that it cannot be breached. The social media giant is the most vulnerable platform in cases of data breaches as various third parties are also involved. As seen the in the case of Cambridge Analytica, a huge chunk of user data was available to influence the users in terms of elections. Meta needs to be ahead of the curve to have a safe and secure platform, for this Meta has deployed various AI and ML driven crawlers and software which work o keeping the platform safe for its users and simultaneously figure out which accounts may be used by bad actors and further removes the criminal accounts. The same is also supported by the keen participation of the user in terms of the reporting mechanism. Meta-Cyber provides visibility of all OT activities, observes continuously the PLC and SCADA for changes and configuration, and checks the authorization and its levels. Meta is also running various penetration and bug bounty programs to reduce vulnerabilities in their systems and applications, these testers are paid heavily depending upon the scope of the vulnerability they found.
CyberRoot Risk Investigation
Social media giant Meta has taken down over 40 accounts operated by an Indian firm CyberRoot Risk Analysis, allegedly involved in hack-for-hire services along with this Meta has taken down 900 fraudulently run accounts, these accounts are said to be operated from China by an unknown entity. CyberRoot Risk Analysis was responsible for sharing malware over the platform and used it to impersonate themselves just as their targets, i.e lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and industries like – cosmetic surgery, real estate, investment firms, pharmaceutical, private equity firms, and environmental and anti-corruption activists. They would get in touch with such personalities and then share malware hidden in files which would often lead to data breaches subsequently leading to different types of cybercrimes.
Meta and its team is working tirelessly to eradicate the influence of such bad actors from their platforms, use of AI and Ml based tools have increased exponentially.
Paytm CyberFraud Cover
Paytm is offering customers protection against cyber fraud through an insurance policy available for fraudulent mobile transactions up to Rs 10,000 for a premium of Rs 30. The cover ‘Paytm Payment Protect’ is provided through a group insurance policy issued by HDFC Ergo. The company said that the plan is being offered to increase the trust in digital payments, which will push up adoption. The insurance cover protects transactions made through UPI across all apps and wallets. The insurance coverage has been obtained by One97 Communications, which operates under the Paytm brand.
The exponential increase in the use of digital payments during the pandemic has made more people susceptible to cyber fraud. While UPI has all the digital safeguards in place, most UPI-related frauds are undertaken by confidence tricksters who get their victims to authorise a transaction by passing collect requests as payments. There are also many fraudsters collecting payments by pretending to be merchants. These types of frauds have resulted in a loss of more than Rs 63 crores in the previous financial year. The issue of data insurance is new to India but is indeed the need of the hour, majority of netizens are unaware of the value of their data and hence remain ignorant towards data protection, such steps will result in safer data management and protection mechanisms, thus safeguarding the Indian cyberspace.
Conclusion
cyberspace is at a critical juncture in terms of data protection and privacy, with new legislation coming out on the same we can expect new and stronger policies to prevent cybercrimes and cyber-attacks. The efforts by tech giants like Meta need to gain more speed in terms of the efficiency of cyber safety of the platform and the user to make sure that the future of the platforms remains secured strongly. The concept of data insurance needs to be shared with netizens to increase awareness about the subject. The initiative by Paytm will be a monumental initiative as this will encourage more platforms and banks to commit towards coverage for cyber crimes. With the increasing cases of cybercrimes, such financial coverage has come as a light of hope and security for the netizens.
