A man has lost his entire life savings after falling prey to a deepfake impersonation scam involving a prominent British finance guru.
Retired South East England resident David says he lost £20,000 ($27,413) after seeing a deepfake video of Money Saving Expert host Martin Lewis on Facebook promoting what appeared to be a legitimate investment scheme, reports the UK-based outlet Rayo.
David, not his real name, says the video appealed to him as it advertised a way to make a quick buck with very little risk.
“Martin Lewis promoted an investment that was available to anyone and should be taken seriously as a way to boost your savings. There was a link attached, and all you had to do was invest £200 and watch your investment grow.”
David says his initial investment abruptly jumped to £5,000 or $6,853, eventually spiking to as high as £25,000 ($34,267). But when he tried to withdraw the funds to realize his gains, David says the scammers duped him into paying £5,000 in “liquidity” or “security” fees.
David says that after paying the charge, the scammers took it a step further and asked for £10,000 ($13,706) to expedite the transfer of funds. He says his story should serve as a warning, so that others will not fall victim to AI-generated deepfakes.
On X, Lewis himself told his 3.2 million followers to be on the lookout for scams.
“Wow, this truly is the scammers sinking to new depths. If you see one of these scams, please report these criminals to X and let’s get them stopped (before more vulnerable people are ripped off).”
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