Skip to main content

Don’t trust your eyes: Martin Lewis’ deep-fake scam advert

A video of Martin Lewis is circulating, where the money saving expert talks at length about an investment from Elon Musk that could be a great opportunity for UK residents. It looks and sounds exactly like the financial expert - and it is completely fake.

The scam hit the news because the advert was so completely convincing; there was nothing to indicate in the video itself that you’re not watching the real Martin Lewis talking about a real investment opportunity. Martin Lewis has described the scam as ‘dangerous’ and has threatened Facebook, the social media platform where the video was promoted, with legal action.

‘The first deep-fake scam advert’

In an interview for Good Morning Britain regarding the video, Martin Lewis states that, ‘This is a deep fake…as far as I know [this] is the first deep-fake scam advert…it’s an absolutely terrifying development.’

Martin goes on to say, ‘this is still only the early stages of the technology and they are only going to get better.’ Martin also warns that, ‘Within a year or two…the interview that we’re doing now would be manipulated so that you would be asking questions and I would be answering questions about those fake adverts.’

When did technology get so terrifying?

This may seem like an episode of Black Mirror, but Martin Lewis’ warning about the potential for future deep-fake videos is, in reality, very likely. Technology and artificial intelligence is advancing incredibly quickly, and that means that the techniques scammers and hackers are using are becoming more and more convincing. 

It is a popular myth that only vulnerable people fall victim to phishing emails and scam adverts. Although it is true that the older you are, the more likely you are to fall victim to a scam, technological literacy doesn’t mean that you’re immune; people under the age of 20 who reported fraud went up by 116% from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, 78% of all online fraud starts online. Regardless of your age, tech proficiency and level of vulnerability, you can fall victim to one of these scams.

Thanks to social media, scammers are able to access a wealth of video and audio content that they can use to create content which looks and sounds like someone legitimate. Whether it’s a business or public figure you trust like Martin Lewis, or a friend and family member as we’ve seen in recent spoofing cases, everything can be digitally faked. 

How can you keep yourself safe?

It is more important than ever to do your research when it comes to advertisements and posts like the Martin Lewis video. If you’re considering investing in an opportunity that you’ve seen on social media, or if you’ve had a phone call from someone you know where they’re requesting money, bank details or personal information, take a step back and fact check the information. A quick internet search disproves the Martin Lewis video as a scam, and a quick call to your friend or family member could disprove the phone call you’ve received. 

Just like phishing emails, deep-fake audios and videos are designed to get you to panic, or rush into a decision that you haven’t thought through. Take a step back, think things through, and hold in your mind that just because something looks or sounds real, it doesn’t mean that it is.


The Transcendit Way

Transcendit understand that when you choose to work with us, whether we're taking care of your IT, app or web development, you're trusting us with part of your business. So whether we're looking after your computers, phone systems or servers we always do things 'the Transcendit way'.

The whole of our team adhere to the same values, beliefs and policies - the principles that were written when Transcendit first formed in 2000. Whether you come to us for cloud services or recovery backup you can be confident that you'll always receive the same excellent service.

The Transcendit way outlines how we do business; following the same straightforward principles with every client and customer, regardless of how big or small they may be.

That means we get to know you and your business. We offer you a friendly, professional and efficient service, and we'll always be honest with you.
We understand that not everybody speaks fluent IT, so we try to explain things in a way that is simple and clear. We always spend as much time as is necessary explaining things to you.
If you need to talk to us about something, no matter how insignificant, we are only ever a phone call away – and we’re never too busy to make you a cup of tea and have a sit down with you in person.
We understand how frustrating it can be when things are late. When we schedule an appointment with you, we are there when you’re expecting us. If something prevents us from getting there, we always call you in advance to let you know.
Sometimes things can go wrong, but we never lie to you or try to cover something up. If things go askew we tell you what’s happened and how we plan to prevent it affecting your business.
We want you to continuously benefit from working with us. We regularly discuss your business and make suggestions for improving systems and processes wherever we can – but we never try to push you into a purchase.
When we quote a fixed price, that's always the amount we charge – you won’t find any nasty surprises on a bill from us. If you are paying by time and materials, we inform you if our approximations could change.
We understand the importance of privacy for your business and your customers. We respect the confidentiality of your data, and we will never pass on your information to third parties.
We appreciate it when you take the time to give us feedback. A system called CustomerSure records our client's responses, so you can trust that our reviews are from real people.
Find out what they're saying here.
Paul is always more than helpful...we'd be lost without him! Angela Fenwick, Streetwise

Based on 12075 reviews our customers rate us 9.8/10. Reviews and ratings by Customersure. 09-October-2024

Transcendit are proud sponsors of CHUF, the Children's Heart Unit Fund.

Transcendit is a Living Wage employer
Transcendit is a Microsoft Gold certified partner
VMWARE partner
Vipre partner
IPCortex partner
WithSecure partner
DELL partner
Barracuda partner
Veeam partner
N-Able partner