#FactCheck - Visuals of Jharkhand Police catching a truck load of cash and gold coins is an AI-generated image

Executive Summary

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Recent claims circulating on social media allege that an Indian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet was shot down by Pakistani forces during "Operation Sindoor." These reports suggest the incident involved a jet crash attributed to hostile action. However, these assertions have been officially refuted. No credible evidence supports the existence of such an operation or the downing of an Indian aircraft as described. The Indian Air Force has not confirmed any such event, and the claim appears to be misinformation.

Claim

A social media rumor has been circulating, suggesting that an Indian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet was shot down by Pakistani Air forces during "Operation Sindoor." The claim is accompanied by images purported to show the wreckage of the aircraft.

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Fact Check

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The social media posts have falsely claimed that a Pakistani Air Force shot down an Indian Air Force MiG-29 during "Operation Sindoor." This claim has been confirmed to be untrue. The image being circulated is not related to any recent IAF operations and has been previously used in unrelated contexts. The content being shared is misleading and does not reflect any verified incident involving the Indian Air Force.

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After conducting research by extracting key frames from the video and performing reverse image searches, we successfully traced the original post, which was first published in 2024, and can be seen in a news article from The Hindu and Times of India. 

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A MiG-29 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF), engaged in a routine training mission, crashed near Barmer, Rajasthan, on Monday evening (September 2, 2024). Fortunately, the pilot safely ejected and escaped unscathed, hence the claim is false and an act to spread misinformation.

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Conclusion

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The claims regarding the downing of an Indian Air Force MiG-29 during "Operation Sindoor" are unfounded and lack any credible verification. The image being circulated is outdated and unrelated to current IAF operations. There has been no official confirmation of such an incident, and the narrative appears to be misleading. Peoples are advised to rely on verified sources for accurate information regarding defence matters.

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• Claim: Pakistan Shot down an Indian Fighter Jet, MIG-29
• Claimed On:  Social Media
• Fact Check: False and Misleading 

As Generative AI continues to make strides by creating content through user prompts, the increasing sophistication of language models widens the scope of the services they can deliver. However, they have their own limitations. Recently, alerts by Apple Intelligence on the iPhone’s latest version have come under fire for misrepresenting news by news agencies.

The new feature was introduced with the aim of presenting an effective way to group and summarise app notifications in a single alert on a user’s lock screen. This was to enable an easier scan for important details amongst a large number of notifications, doing away with overwhelming updates for the user. This, however, resulted in the misrepresentation of news channels and reporting of fake news such as the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Luke Litter winning the PDC World Darts Championship even before the competition, tennis Player Rafael Nadal coming out as gay, among other news alerts. Following false alerts, BBC had complained about its journalism being misrepresented. In response, Apple’s proposed solution was to clarify to the user that when the text summary is displayed in the notifications, it is clearly stated to be a product of notification Apple Intelligence and not of the news agency. It also claimed the complexity of having to compress content into short summaries which resulted in fallacious alerts. Further comments revealed that the AI alert feature was in beta and is continuously being worked on depending on the user’s feedback. Owing to the backlash, Apple has suspended this service and announced that an improved version of the feature is set to be released in the near future, however, no dates have been set.

CyberPeace Insights

The rush to release new features often exacerbates the problem, especially when AI-generated alerts are responsible for summarising news reports. This can significantly damage the credibility and trust that brands have worked hard to build. The premature release of features that affect the dissemination, content, and public comprehension of information carries substantial risks, particularly in the current environment where misinformation is widespread. Timely action and software updates, which typically require weeks to implement, are crucial in mitigating these risks. The desire to be ahead in the game and bring out competitive features must not resolve the responsibility of providing services that are secure and reliable. This aforementioned incident highlights the inherent nature of generative AI, which operates by analysing the data it was trained on to deliver the best possible responses based on user prompts. However, these responses are not always accurate or reliable. When faced with prompts beyond its scope, AI systems often produce untrustworthy information, underlining the need for careful oversight and verification. A question to deliberate on is whether we require such services at all, which in practice, do save our time, but do so at the risk of the spread of false tidbits.

References

• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/07/apple-update-ai-inaccurate-news-alerts-bbc-apple-intelligence-iphone
• https://www.firstpost.com/tech/apple-intelligence-hallucinates-falsely-credits-bbc-for-fake-news-broadcaster-lodges-complaint-13845214.html
• https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/08/apple-ai-fake-news-alerts-highlight-the-techs-misinformation-problem.html
• https://news.sky.com/story/apple-ai-feature-must-be-revoked-over-notifications-misleading-users-say-journalists-13288716
• https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/apple-to-pay-95-million-in-user-privacy-violation-lawsuit-on-siri-101735835058198.html
• https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/apple-denies-claims-of-siri-violating-user-privacy-after-95-million-class-action-suit-settlement-101736445941497.html#:~:text=Apple%20denies%20claims%20of%20Siri,action%20suit%20settlement%20%2D%20Hindustan%20Times
• https://www.google.com/search?q=apple+AI+alerts+misinformation&oq=apple+AI+alerts+misinformation+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigAdIBCTEyMzUxajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
• https://www.fastcompany.com/91261727/apple-intelligence-news-summaries-mistakes
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/siris-secret-listening-costs-apple-95m/articleshow/116906209.cms
• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/17/apple-suspends-ai-generated-news-alert-service-after-bbc-complaint 

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Introduction

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ( MeitY) through its Information Security Education & Awareness ( ISEA ) came up with an advisory regarding the growing cases of e-challan fraud. Cybercriminals are exploiting the beliefs of individuals by attracting them into clicking malicious links under the impression of paying traffic fines. Cybercriminals employ sending phishing messages and impersonating official e-challan notifications as a primary method. These messages are crafted in such a way that portrays a sense of urgency, provoking individuals to click on a link for spontaneous payment. For building trust, the messages are deviously created by scammers depicting official communication, which in actuality are fake messages targeting individuals for committing online financial fraud.

Unveiling the E-Challan Scam

Scammers send a text message to your phones that closely resembles e-challan alerts. The text appears from the traffic police, informing the netizens of a traffic violation that requires a fine payment. These messages contain a link and a text message urging the recipient to settle the fine by clicking on the links to make the payment.  Scammers have started trapping innocent individuals through such fake messages. These scammers are creating and sending fake messages that look like traffic challan alert messages. However, it is a completely deceptive and fake message. Such messages contain malicious links to fake website, leading users to visit the fake website and enter their bank account details, or make the payment which ultimately leads to financial loss to victims. Cyber scammers have meticulously copied the format used by the traffic authorities however a close examination can help us spot the trap. The modus operandi of such type of scam is to get the targeted individuals to click on a malicious link for payment of traffic e-challan. Once you click on such malicious payment link to pay for the e-challan the individuals unknowingly will end up paying the cyber criminals instead of the police in a bid to discharge the traffic e-challan.

How to spot a fake E-Challan?

• Verify the Vehicle Number: Make sure that the vehicle number mentioned in the message matches your vehicle’s number. Cross-check this information with your vehicle’s number plate or the smart card ( blue book) issued by the Regional Transport Office ( RTO).
• Verify the E-challan Number: Verify the validity of the e-challan number by logging into the official traffic police website or app. Legitimate e-challans will have a corresponding record that can be cross-checked for authenticity. The challan number can be verified by logging in to the official e-challan website. It is always advisable to Visit the official government website to check if you have actually been fined.
• Inspect the Message Content: Give attention to the language inculcated in the message. Hackers' messages may contain grammatical errors or unusual phrases. For example, cybercriminals might encourage victims to visit the RTO office in person. Trying to build up confidence among the victims. Also, it is important that you do not make such payments in haste. Vehicle owners must check such messages carefully before clicking on any link.

Best Practices to Stay Safe

• Be aware of unbidden messages: Be cautious when you receive unsolicited e- challan notifications. Abstain yourself by clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. 
• Always stick to legitimate or official websites: The scammers use links which look similar to the official link, and a casual glance can miss the difference. Hence it is strictly advisable to visit the official websites only. Also do note that government websites will always have the domain '.gov.in'.  The official website of Traffic Challan is https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/ 
• Get it cross-checked through official channels: Always cross-check the authenticity of an e-challan by directly accessing official channels, such as the official traffic police website or application. 
• Connect with the RTO directly: If in doubt, independently connect with the Regional Transport Office ( RTO) using official contact details to verify the authenticity of the e-challan.  It is best not to solely rely on information received from suspicious messages. 
• Software update: Make sure that your device’s security software is up to date to protect against malware and phishing scams.

Conclusion:

Cybercriminals are exploiting the fear of traffic fines to trick individuals into clicking on malicious links and revealing their personal and financial information. These scams can lead to significant financial losses for the victims. To stay safe, it is important to be cautious of unsolicited messages, verify the authenticity of e-challans through official channels, and avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. Awareness is the first line of defence in the evolving landscape of online threats. 

References:

• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/ahmedabad-residents-duped-out-of-lakhs-in-e-challan-scam-cops-arrest-jharkhand-man/articleshow/103528317.cms
• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/save/new-traffic-e-challan-fraud-heres-how-to-identify-scam-messages-and-avoid-getting-duped/articleshow/104960817.cms
• https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/explained-the-new-e-challan-scam-how-we-can-escape-it-4342129

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