THE States police have launched an investigation after Islanders lost more than £300,000 in the space of two weeks to an AI-generated online scam using a ‘deep fake’ version of money saving expert Martin Lewis.
The fake adverts, which are placed on Facebook and other social media sites, encourage people to invest into cryptocurrency and other types of investments.
Mr Lewis is a well-known reporter and broadcaster who founded MoneySavingExpert.com.
Faith Shalamon, a Financial Investigator in the Joint Financial Crimes Unit, explained: ‘Martin Lewis is a respected journalist and broadcaster and would never endorse products online. Any advert involving him will be false.
‘The Martin Lewis fake adverts are all over the internet and are created by fraudsters looking to scam people out of money.’
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Lewis said: ‘These people are trying to pervert and destroy my reputation in order to steal money off vulnerable people, and frankly it is disgraceful, and people are going to lose money and people’s mental health are going to be affected.’
Deep-fake technology is akin to a digital mask that can make one person look and sound like another in photos and vide
The States police have encouraged Islanders to research a company’s background or website, pay close attention to review and get financial advice before making any significant investment.
