Vigil Aunty (HDFC Bank’s fraud fighting influencer) addressed an increasing nationwide problem by making people realize how susceptible they are to deepfake fraud. She scammed the public by creating a fake brand and deepfake ads of Nora Fatehi (one of Bollywood’s biggest celebrities) to promote its EOSS sale.

Nora’s popularity got people to click on these deepfake ads, capturing the attention of media outlets and the nation. Those who fell for it volunteered to join the Vigil Army (via a WhatsApp chatbot), forming a vigilant community that now spreads awareness about fraud.

India leads the world in digital transactions, capturing 46% of the global total. Thanks to UPI, our revolutionary digital payment platform, we facilitated transactions worth $2.2 trillion in 2023. While these numbers are impressive, they also bring challenges, notably through increased online fraud.

On the cultural front, there's a common attitude among Indians that "Mere saath toh nahin ho sakta" (It can’t happen to me), which reveals an optimism bias. This mindset makes many feel immune to fraud, despite the increasing risks.

Furthermore, our love for a good bargain and admiration for celebrities significantly shape our shopping habits. According to NielsenIQ, 81% of Indian consumers are drawn to discounts, and Statista reveals that between 27-41% have made purchases influenced by celebrity endorsements.

The real issue lies in the exploitation of this trust and influence by fraudsters.

India faces a formidable challenge - online financial fraud, which costs citizens $8.39 billion annually. Traditional awareness tactics haven’t cut it, being too dull and temporary to stick. Meanwhile, fraudsters evolve employing the likes of deepfake AI and celebrity imagery to dupe people. Norton’s findings are alarming: 40% of Indian shoppers fall prey to scams during the festive and sale seasons.

Vigil Aunty is a fraud-fighting influencer created by HDFC Bank to tackle the prevalent issue of online fraud through wit and wisdom. She aims to awaken the masses and arm them with the knowledge to thwart such attempts. This year, Vigil Aunty decided to take on the biggest threat to Indian wallets - AI-led fraud.

"Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand.”

Hayley Williams, lead vocalist, Paramore.

We chose an unorthodox approach to challenge the public's optimism bias and etch a memorable lesson about vigilance. Who better to do this than our fraud-fighting influencer, Vigil Aunty?

We introduced ‘Lulumelon', a fake brand (a name similar to a real brand) launching in India during the much-awaited end-of-season sale period. A full-scale launch campaign—complete with social media (fake) buzz, a bespoke (fake) website, and compelling ads featuring (deep-fake) Nora Fatehi, Bollywood’s heartthrob diva.

Unsuspecting shoppers, lured by the promise of deals, clicked only to discover their susceptibility to scams. Vigil Aunty cautioned them and gave crucial lessons on financial safety.

This wasn't just a scam; it was a wake-up call.

Our strategy? Cleverly mirroring a fraudster’s playbook, perfectly timed during the end-of-season sale rush.

Imitating a scammer, we launched fake social media profiles and websites with altered domain names and extensions, even mimicking typical scammer slip-ups for authenticity.

The entry of a ‘global' brand, Lulumelon, into the Indian market, coupled with the star power of Nora Fatehi, lent unparalleled credibility. We amplified it further by creating urgency with limited-time offers, crafting an irresistible bait.

We targeted everyone, from teens living off pocket money to senior citizens paying bills through pensions, mimicking a scammer’s indiscriminate approach. From Instagram and LinkedIn to WhatsApp, emails, and even direct calls, we covered all bases, getting the audience to visit the website.

Upon arrival, Vigil Aunty revealed the truth and nudged visitors to join the 'Vigil Army'—a community of fraud fighters on WhatsApp dedicated to combating fraud.

We brought Bollywood diva Nora Fatehi into the fold of our 'scam' to raise awareness about deepfakes. With Nora's consent, we transformed our fraud-fighter, Vigil Aunty, into a deepfake version of Nora, using a plethora of publicly available photos and videos to train a sophisticated AI to replicate her look and voice.

Our completely fictional brand, Lulumelon, had everything a real business would have—social media pages, targeted advertisements, and a slick website that mimicked an authentic e-commerce platform. The ads featured a deep-faked Nora promoting eye-catching festive season discounts, strategically placed across channels.

As a fun little Easter egg, our Lulumelon logo spelled 'ULU' (slang for fool), a playful nod to the theme, which was all about not being fooled.

As news of Nora's deepfake spread, media outlets quickly picked up the story, catapulting our message about the perils of online scams into the spotlight.

Why did a bank scam the public? To save them!

1.9 million people fell for our Lulumelon EOSS scam. They visited the fake shopping website, where they learned firsthand about their vulnerability to scams.

Over 820,000 individuals joined our Vigil Army via a WhatsApp chatbot, forming a vigilant community that now spreads awareness about fraud.

The campaign captured the attention of over 350 media outlets, generating an impressive INR 13.7 Million in earned media.

Most importantly, we started a conversation and made people realize that we would go to any lengths to safeguard their money, and that’s the kind of bank people want to bank on.