‘I was scammed out of £75k by Martin Lewis deepfake advert’
4 min read
Des lost £76,000 after falling victim to a scam advert on Facebook. BBC
Des Healey, a kitchen fitter from Brighton, never imagined he would fall victim to a scam involving a deepfake of Martin Lewis, the well-known money-saving expert. But in August 2023, after seeing a fake advert on Facebook that featured a manipulated version of Martin Lewis alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk promoting a non-existent bitcoin investment scheme, Des found himself caught in a sophisticated scam that cost him £75,000.
The deepfake scam used artificial intelligence to replicate Martin’s voice and appearance, making it seem as though he was endorsing a lucrative investment opportunity. “I’ve witnessed you a few times on TV stating that you never put your name to these things,” Des told Martin during a recent interview on BBC Radio 5 Live. “So why on that particular day did it sell it to me? I do not know.”
Des had been browsing Facebook when he saw the advert and, enticed by the idea of quick, easy profits before Christmas, he decided to take the bait. As a self-employed tradesperson with a quiet period in his business, the ad seemed like an opportunity to “earn a few extra bob” in a short amount of time.
After providing his contact details, Des was quickly contacted by a man named “Carl,” who claimed to be a financial adviser with over 20 years of experience. Carl set up an account for Des with Revolut, a legitimate e-money firm, and encouraged him to invest £1,000 to start. Soon after, Carl convinced Des that profitable months were ahead, urging him to increase his investment to take advantage of the opportunities.
The scheme seemed to show early signs of success, as Des believed his money had been returned to his Revolut account, although it’s unclear if this was a legitimate transaction or a fake page controlled by the scammer. Trusting Carl, Des transferred £5,000, the entirety of his life savings, only to be told that in order to withdraw any money, he needed to invest £10,000 more.
Des continued to invest, taking out loans with four different providers totalling £70,000, believing his returns were just around the corner. But after his son listened to one of Carl’s calls and noticed suspicious background music, Des began to question the legitimacy of the scheme. His son raised concerns, asking, “What bank or call centre would be playing a rap song?” He advised his father to report the incident to the police, which ultimately led to the discovery of the scam.
Reflecting on how he became a victim, Des said it felt like a “spell was cast” upon him, making it nearly impossible to see through the scam at the time. Martin Lewis, who has been repeatedly exploited by scammers using his image, expressed his admiration for Des’s bravery in speaking out. “Falling for scams doesn’t make you a mug – it makes you a victim,” he said, emphasizing how sophisticated scammers are in manipulating their targets. Martin urged listeners to be cautious, especially when dealing with situations that involve a sense of urgency or secrecy.
One key piece of advice Martin offered was to beware of pressure tactics. “The more urgent and the less people you can tell – the more secret, the more likely it is to be a scam,” he said. He also recommended hanging up on cold calls from banks or companies, then calling them back using a different phone line to avoid potential fraud.
Martin also warned against clicking on suspicious links or responding to texts asking you to reply “stop,” as doing so can signal to scammers that your phone number is legitimate, making you a target for future scams.
Since reporting the incident, two of the banks Des borrowed from have cancelled his loans. However, he still owes £20,000 plus nearly £6,000 in interest. He is currently in talks with the financial ombudsman to explore his options.
Despite the devastating loss, Des expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet Martin and share his story. “Martin is a good guy,” Des said, recounting how Martin told him that by speaking out, he had likely helped many others avoid falling for similar scams.
Revolut, the e-money firm involved in the scam, expressed regret that customers were targeted by such criminals and emphasized its ongoing efforts to protect users through advanced fraud prevention technologies. “Revolut works hard and invests heavily to protect our customers as best we can through our fraud prevention technologies, analyzing over half a billion transactions a month,” a spokesperson said.
This scam serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by deepfakes and the growing sophistication of online fraud, especially when it involves trusted public figures like Martin Lewis. It also highlights the importance of staying vigilant and aware when navigating the increasingly complex online landscape.
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