- Which? identified deepfake consumer scams on YouTube
- This encourages the public to invest in false projects
- Which? urges government and tech companies to remove them
New research from consumer group Which? urged the government to implement stricter regulations for big tech companies to protect internet users from AI-based scams.
Investigations by the group have uncovered convincing video fakes of financial journalist (and trusted source) Martin Lewis, as well as British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, advising the public to invest in fraudulent schemes, and the deepfake videos make these scams appear government-backed and “risk-free.”
So far, AI identity theft scams have exploded in 2025, and the rapid evolution of technology makes them increasingly difficult to spot.
Danger to customers
The consumer group has now called out tech companies like YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) and Meta for their apparent “unwillingness to block dangerous and misleading content”; and further calls on the government to “ensure its next fraud strategy includes tough measures to hold big tech companies accountable.”
The Financial Conduct Authority follows general guidance, which warns against relying on advice from unvetted financial influencers – but around a fifth (20%) of those who have made investments trust online influencers when making investment decisions.
Of course, deepfakes from authentic, trusted sources are a different story, so it’s important to review the content you see (i.e., make sure it’s the official channel, with safe links and a legitimate website).
The situation is complicated by the fact that criminals are able, with the help of AI, to quickly and accurately create fake websites designed to impersonate respectable media outlets like Which? And the BBC.
“AI makes it much more difficult to detect what is real and what is not,” says Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?
“Fraudsters know this and are exploiting it mercilessly. Meanwhile, the Big Tech platforms that many of us use every day simply aren’t doing enough to prevent fraudsters from operating on their sites, putting their users at risk.”
“To properly protect UK citizens from fraud, the Government must design an action-focused fraud strategy that gets tougher in the face of big tech and the other weak links that allow fraudsters to thrive online. »
That being said, YouTube recently developed a tool for creators to report AI-generated video clones, which won’t necessarily target deepfake financial fraud, but is hopefully a step in the right direction for identifying deepfake videos.
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