The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) has issued a public advisory warning that facial authentication, once considered the gold standard for identity verification, is now being circumvented by fraudsters. These criminals gain unauthorized access to facial data through social media platforms and employ artificial intelligence to create deepfake videos and synthetic identities.
Modus Operandi Revealed
According to the advisory released on Wednesday, scammers are using facial recordings obtained through deceptive video calls, fake online job interviews, or social engineering tactics. They generate realistic digital replicas capable of imitating facial movements, expressions, blinking patterns, and voice. The advisory states, "These technologies may be exploited to bypass facial authentication, liveness verification, video-KYC, account recovery, and gain unauthorized access to financial and digital services."
Recommended Security Measures
To counter this threat, I4C recommends several preventive measures. Customer onboarding systems should integrate deepfake detection mechanisms. Biometric profiles should be locked to prevent remote identity theft. Users must monitor email notifications for unauthorized login or authentication attempts. Additionally, telecom providers should be alerted immediately if mobile network connectivity suddenly stops, as this could indicate a fraudulent SIM swap.
The advisory emphasizes the importance of staying vigilant against sophisticated cyber threats. As deepfake technology evolves, individuals and organizations must adopt enhanced security protocols to protect sensitive biometric data.
