MSE News
WARNING: Beware frightening new 'deepfake' Martin Lewis video scam promoting a fake 'Elon Musk investment' – it's not real
A frightening new scam video of MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis is circulating on social media, using artificial intelligence to mimic his face AND voice to purportedly promote an app associated with Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk. It is completely fake – Martin has nothing to do with it.
The video shows what appears to be Martin sat in his office, discussing an investment in something called 'Quantum AI', labelled as 'Elon Musk's new project'. It is terrifyingly convincing, as the computer-generated impersonation of Martin uses his voice. It uses a caption with similar branding to ITV's This Morning, a show Martin regularly appears on.
It seems that the video first appeared on Facebook, and we've heard further reports of it circulating on Instagram. It was initially shared with Martin on Twitter.
Martin is warning anyone that sees the video that it is an attempt by criminals to steal your money.
A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, told MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE): "We don’t allow this kind of advert on our platforms and the original video was proactively removed by our teams. We also removed a number of copycat adverts using the same imagery."
We've also contacted Twitter to alert it to the scam, and to ask if Elon Musk has any association with Quantum AI. We'll update this story when we hear back.
Martin: 'We are in a dangerous, dystopian future – action is needed NOW to protect people from scam ads'
What does the Government say?
A Government spokesperson said: "Deepfake scams, which are fraudulent, will be caught by the Online Safety Bill's illegal content duties. Platforms will have to take preventative measures to prevent fraudulent content appearing on their platforms and swiftly remove if it does."
Alongside others, Martin and MSE successfully campaigned for the Online Safety Bill to include scam ads – but the Bill is yet to become law and it remains unclear when any new rules will come into force. We've been pushing for this to be a priority.
If you spot the fake Martin Lewis post, report it – here's how
Martin NEVER does adverts and NEVER promotes investments – anything you see suggesting otherwise is fraudulent and a scam.
If you see the post online, don't engage with it, as it may be trying to trick you into handing over information. Instead, report it so it can be taken down.
On Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
- In your feed, tap or click the three dot menu (…) next to the ad you want to report.
- Click 'Report ad' and then follow the on-screen instructions.
Think you've been scammed? Here's what to do
Take the following steps:
- If you've already responded to a scam, end all communication immediately.
- Call your bank directly and cancel any recurring payments – or, for speed and ease, you can call the 159 hotline.
- Report the scam to the police through Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or report a scam anonymously on the Action Fraud website. If you're in Scotland, report a scam through Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or on the Advice Direct Scotland website. You can also report scams to Police Scotland on 101.
- If you need more help, contact the Citizens Advice helpline on 0808 223 1133 or via its website.
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