Misleading photo posts targeting a girl who was posing for a photograph with Kumar Dharmasena

Kumar Dharmasena, a former World Cup-winning Sri Lankan cricketer and currently serving as one of the elite Panel of umpires at ICC, was at the centre of attraction recently as he became the subject of a video call scam. As a video of Dharmasena made rounds on WhatsApp, many assumptions were made about the girl who was seen in the video.

We decided to clarify the misleading posts which falsely implied that the girl in the video was a young woman working under Dharmasena.

Fact Check:

A photo of a young girl posing with Kumar Dharmasena was viral on Facebook and other social media platforms, referring to the viral video and hence implying the girl in the video and one in the photo was one and the same.

Facebook | Archived Link Facebook | Archived Link

Explainer:

The video call included explicit content that showed nude footage of Dhramasena along with that of a young woman. This gave rise to misleading assumptions.

However, upon comparing the two photographs of the girl in the nude video and the above Facebook posts, it becomes evident that the young woman posing with Kumar Dharmasena is not the girl seen in the viral video on WhatsApp. The side-by-side photo comparison is provided below for reference.

In addition, we found many other nude & semi-nude footage and images of girls seen in the WhatsApp video features on several adult sites, especially Indian adult websites. These videos also clearly show that the person in the WhatsApp video has a different face than the girl posing with Dharmasena.

At the same time, we decided to find more information about the girl posing with Dharmasena. We contacted the brother of the Sri Lankan girl who has been the target of these misleading photo posts, who confirmed that his sister was employed at Kumara Dharmasena's 'Pinthanna' group office. He added that one of his sister’s photos of posing with Mr Dharmasena had been misused to create this confusion with a misleading caption. This situation has caused massive distress for his sister and their family members.

Kumar Dharmasena’s incident is not the first time a well-known personality has been the victim of scammers, and let’s look into the tactics that video scammers use and how to stay safe.

Beware of Video Call Scams: A Growing Threat

Online scams are on the rise, and scammers are constantly innovating new ways to exploit people. One such method is through video calls. These scams target common personnel as well as famous individuals in our society. The scammers trick victims into trusting them during these video calls, only to use the recorded videos to threaten the victims and extort money from them.

Here's how it works: Scammers use random phone numbers to make video calls. They try to build trust and then convince victims to engage in inappropriate activities on camera. Once recorded, they threaten to share these videos on social media or with family members unless the victim pays them large sums of money.

These scams aren't limited to one platform. They happen on video calling apps, dating apps, and even on WhatsApp. The COVID-19 pandemic has made these scams more common as more people started spending time online.

To protect yourself, avoid answering video calls from unknown numbers. You can also adjust your privacy settings to keep your personal information hidden from strangers online. If you ever become a victim of these scams, resources like WA ScamNet are available to help you understand what to do next. Read more Archived Link.

The case of Kumar Dharmasena serves as a stark reminder that online scams spare no one, regardless of their fame or standing in society. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so do the strategies scammers employ to manipulate and deceive individuals. This incident underscores the urgency of collective efforts to combat online scams through awareness, education, and the implementation of robust cybersecurity practices.

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