Deepfake Scam Alert: Surrey Victim's Cautionary Tale Involving Impersonation of Finance Expert Martin Lewis

A retired engineer from Surrey, England, has lost £20,000 of his savings after falling victim to a sophisticated scam involving an AI‑generated deepfake video of TV finance expert Martin Lewis.

The victim was deceived by a Facebook video in which fraudsters used artificial intelligence to impersonate the well‑known Money Saving Expert presenter. The fake video promoted a supposedly legitimate investment scheme, encouraging viewers to start with just £200.

Believing the video to be genuine, the victim invested and initially saw his account balance rise. Convinced by the apparent profits, he added £5,000 more. When his account later showed £25,000, he attempted to withdraw funds. Instead, scammers demanded extra payments, calling them “liquidity” or “security” fees. After paying £5,000, he was asked for another £10,000 for “faster payments.” 

The victim has chosen to share his experience publicly as part of Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend’s “Question EVERYTHING” campaign, which warns of the growing use of AI in fraud. Townsend explained that criminals are increasingly creating lifelike deepfake videos, cloning voices, and crafting convincing messages to trick victims. She noted that Martin Lewis is currently the most impersonated public figure in such scams.

To raise awareness, the campaign has produced a deepfake demonstration video and published a free guide titled “The dangers of AI and deepfakes: How to avoid becoming the victim of AI-generated scams”. 

The victim continues to face stress from the ordeal, saying he is now contacted almost daily by people promising to recover his money, offers he recognizes as further scams.

Anyone targeted by investment fraud should report directly to authorities and beware of “recovery fraud,” where scammers exploit victims a second time.

Know more deepfake scams:

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• Alert: Deepfake Video Falsely Shows Finance Minister and Ex‑RBI Governor Endorsing ₹1 Million Monthly Return Scam
• Canadian Senior Loses Savings to AI-Generated Deepfake Scam, Highlighting Expanding Fraud Problem