By Anmol Alphonso
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar took to X to call out a deepfake video that is being shared on social media purporting to show him endorsing a gaming app called 'Skyward Aviator Quest' which is available on the Apple App Store.
In the 30 seconds ad, Tendulkar can be heard speaking in Hindi and appealing to people to download the gaming app - 'Skyward Aviator Quest' from Apple Play Store. The ad also claims that Tendulkar's daughter - Sara plays the game.
BOOM has previously reported on similar such fraud ads that used Artificial Intelligence (AI) and were using voice clones of Shah Rukh Khan, Virat Kohli, Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Narayana Murthy, Ravish Kumar, Akshay Kumar and Sadhguru among others to scam Indian users on Facebook.
Also Read:Video Of TV Anchor Amish Devgan Promoting Casino Gaming App Is A Deepfake
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video is fake, and Sachin Tendulkar has not promoted the gaming app - 'Skyward Aviation Quest' as being claimed in the ad. Tendulkar also posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) calling out the ad and stating that it is fake.
Additionally, we found that the visuals of Tendulkar used in the ad have been taken from an April 2023 interview of his with Kamiya Jani from Curly Tales YouTube channel.
Tendulkar posted on January 15, 2024, calling the ad fake and stating, "These videos are fake. It is disturbing to see rampant misuse of technology. Request everyone to report videos, ads & apps like these in large numbers. Social Media platforms need to be alert and responsive to complaints. Swift action from their end is crucial to stopping the spread of misinformation and deepfakes."
The voice in the video sounds identical to Tendulkar's voice indicating that it is a voice clone made with generative-AI.
We also ran a reverse image search on the visuals of Tendulkar in the video and found they have been taken from an interview he had given to Curly Tales which was posted on YouTube on April 24, 2023.
As of writing this story, the game is still available in the Apple App Store in India to download.
The game is credited to developer Tress Fuhrmann.
BOOM has reached out to Apple App Store India for a response, the article will be updated on receiving one.
