Surrey man loses £20,000 in deepfake scam as campaign warns of AI risks
Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend is urging the public to question everything.
A Surrey resident has lost £20,000 of his life savings in a scam involving a deepfake video of TV finance expert ‘Martin Lewis.’
David - which is not his real name- is a retired engineer, was deceived after seeing a video on Facebook where fraudsters used AI-generated deepfake technology to impersonate the Money Saving Expert presenter. Believing it to be real, David followed instructions to invest in what appeared to be a legitimate scheme.
He said: “‘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 initially saw his funds increase and invested further sums of £5,000. However, when he tried to withdraw money after his account reached £25,000, he was told he had to pay additional fees described as “liquidity” or “security” payments.
After paying the £5,000 charge, fraudsters demanded a further £10,000 for ‘faster payments,’ leaving David unable to escape the scam or retrieve his funds.
David is sharing his story to warn others of the dangers posed by scammers who use artificial intelligence (AI) to deceive victims through sophisticated fake content. His experience is part of Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend’s ‘Question EVERYTHING’ campaign.
Lisa said: “This comes at a time when fraudsters are increasingly turning to AI to create slick personalised messaging, craft lifelike looking deepfake videos, and clone authentic sounding voices.
“Martin Lewis is currently the most frequently impersonated high-profile person by fraudsters who use sophisticated AI methods to make adverts look real.”
To highlight these risks, the campaign produced both a deepfake video of Lisa Townsend as an example and a free information guide titled ‘The dangers of AI and deepfakes: How to avoid becoming the victim of AI-generated scams’.
David spoke of the strain the scam continues to cause, adding: “It has been a very stressful and upsetting time since this all started last March.
“I am contacted almost daily by individuals making 100% promises that they can get my money back, but I know that they are all disingenuous.”
Lisa urged the public to remain cautious and “question everything” if approached with investment opportunities or suspicious content.
Anyone concerned they may have been targeted can contact Action Fraud or Surrey Police for advice.