Payal Gaming AI Deepfake Scam Viral Video: The Indian gaming scene is definitely picking up, with more and more people engaging with it every day, but this has not come without its bumps and hiccups. Recently the internet has been buzzing, and for all the wrong things. Payal Dhare, who goes by the screen name of Payal Gaming, has found herself in a tussle after an alleged MMS of hers started circulating online.
This has got mixed reactions, where some users on X (formerly Twitter) have claimed that the video shows Payal Dhare, while many of her fans have denied any such claims and have pushed back, saying that the clip is fake, probably an AI-generated deepfake, and does not show her. Several other accounts have pointed to the fact that it might just be a lookalike, and the video could have been altered using AI tools.
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Payal Dhare, A.K.A. Payal Gaming, then broke silence and addressed the situation directly through a post on Instagram. “I never expected to have to speak publicly about something so personal and distressing”.
But this is not an isolated incident, and it gives rise to a much larger question that points towards the misuse of AI as well as the privacy of an individual. The circulation of such provocative videos and snippets spreads like wildfire on social media platforms, and what could be lurking behind those links could do a lot to harm you personally as well. Fans as well as experts in the digital space are warning users that such AI-generated deepfakes could be engineered to mislead and exploit the users.
What Do The Experts Say?
Experts in the field have been constantly warning users and the public about the dangers of deepfakes circulating online and how these attacks are becoming more and more advanced. Experts warn of a much larger threat, like an organised digital scam, where these links can be used to drain you financially as well as socially.
In an exclusive conversation with The Daily Jagran, Cyber Law Expert, Virag Gupta, Supreme Court Advocate, expressed himself and said, "Deepfake content through Images, Videos, Audios and other digital mode pose significant risks of financial fraud, privacy violation and reputational damage. Public should be vigilant and verify the information from Official sources.
He futher added, "The Central Government through the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issues alerts and advisory which can be very useful to counter the deep fake threats. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has established Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to provide a framework to deal with cybercrimes and deep fakes. It has launched the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to report such cyber crimes and deep fakes. Deep Fakes can also be reported through help line number 1930."
What Is A Deepfake?
A deepfake refers to synthetic media where a person’s face, voice, or body is digitally manipulated to make it appear as though they are saying or doing something that never actually happened. What makes deepfakes especially dangerous is how convincing they’ve become. Many are now realistic enough to fool viewers at first glance, making them powerful tools for deception, manipulation, and harassment.
Deepfake content is no longer a fringe issue. A 2024 report by pi-labs highlights a sharp surge in such cases across India, with incidents rising by 550% since 2019. The financial fallout is equally alarming, with potential losses estimated to cross ₹70,000 crore this year alone.
Backing this trend, a McAfee study found that 75% of Indians have already encountered deepfake content online. The majority of these cases reportedly target public figures and women, underscoring how the technology is increasingly being misused for exploitation rather than innovation.
Indian Law On Deepfakes
In a conversation with The Daily Jagran,Virag Gupta, Supreme Court Advocate and Cyber Law Expert, laid down his expertise shedding light on the discourse available in our Law system that can be used to tackle Deepfakes. According to him in the current legal framework there are following three laws that contain provisions for Deepfake, he said:
"BNS 2023 provides provisions under Section 353 which aims to curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation, it penalizes the Act of making false or misleading statements, rimours or reports that can cause public mischief or fear. Section 111 aims to curb the organized crimes wherein organized cyber crimes involving deepfake content can also be dealt with."
When it comes to the provisions under the IT Act 2000, Virag Gupta shed light on the following provisions for remedy, and said "Rule 3 (1) (b) of IT ( Intermediary) Rules 2021, restricts the content which is invasive of privacy, misleads or deceives, impersonates others via AI and violates any applicable law."
He further added, "Section 66 covers the offences like identity theft, Section 66D covers the offences like impersonation, Section 66E covers the offences like privacy violations, Section 67 covers the offences relating to publishing or transmitting obscene or sexually explicit content, Section 69-A: Central Government can issue blocking orders to stop the publication or transmission of deep fake content."
Further to safeguar and individual there are also rules and guidelines under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital media ethics code) Rules 2021, on which Virag Gupta explained, "Amended in 2023. These rules mandated the intermediaries to exercise due diligence and prevent posting or transmission of unlawful content under which Deepfake is also covered. Under Section-79 of the IT Act. Central Government can issue notice to intermediaries for removal of unlawful/deepfake content."
Payal Gaming: Who Is She And Her Journey
She began her journey in 2019 and quickly rose to prominence, making her way through niche audiences and mastering games such as GTA V, PUBG, and Battlegrounds Mobile India. She is known to conquer a space which is predominantly male. Apart from that, she is also the first Indian gamer to cross a major milestone on YouTube by crossing the 3 million subscriber mark.
What Those Posts Could Lead You To
Many posts have claimed that the provocative snippet/video shows Payal Gaming, but what happens when you actually click on those? These posts redirect the user to external links, many leading to websites that are highly suspicious, adult platforms or some landing page that is filled with pop-ups, just like any fake site would have. One of the most important linkages to note in this whole scenario is that there is no verified source confirming the originality or genuineness. Some fans have come to the rescue and have denied the claims, stating that the video showcases her.
This also points to a larger pattern that is becoming a trend of some kind where popular creators, especially if you are a female content creator, need to go through a trial by fire, where their identities are misused just for the sake of a few clicks or to drive traffic to unscrupulous websites. This puts a dent in a person's identity in the name of leaked content.
Looking Forward and What Needs To Be Done
Such incidents are becoming more common and the need of the hour is proper provisions that tackle such incidents with full immunity, according to the expert Virag Gupta, Supreme Court Advocate and Cyber Law Expert, the DPDP Act was passed that looks after how personal data is processed by the big tech giants operating behind the scenes.
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On this matter as we move forward Virag Gupta expressed, "Parliament passed the Digital personal data protection act 2023 which ensures that personal data is processed lawfully by the data fiduciaries (including AI companies) with reasonable security and safeguards. Deep Fakes using personal data without consent can attract penalties under the DPDP Act. However, Rules under this Act are yet to be notify. So, to stop the misuse of Deepfakes, DPDP Act and Rules must be enforced at the earliest."
This whole scenario highlights how careful one must be while accessing or going through such posts, and it also sheds light on a larger concern which points towards misuse of AI and a person's privacy. With no concrete evidence or proof of the video, things still remain ambiguous, but we must be vigilant, as such incidents are becoming more prominent and sophisticated.