Consumer champion Martin Lewis has declared he has "no faith" in social media companies after fraudsters circulated a deepfake video depicting his wife, Lara Lewington, being assaulted by an immigrant. The 53-year-old broadcaster, known for his money-saving advice, has repeatedly voiced alarm over the proliferation of AI-generated imagery, which he says has previously left him "feeling sick."
Deepfake Video Promotes Bogus Investment Scheme
Deepfakes refer to digitally manipulated images or videos, often used for scams or spreading misinformation. Lewis took to Facebook on Thursday after receiving concerned messages from friends who had seen a clip that appeared to show his wife being beaten up. The video was created to promote a "Quantum AI" investment scheme falsely claiming to be endorsed by Martin Lewis, a complete hoax.
In a furious post, Lewis wrote: "If I'd thought the f*****g scammers couldn't sink any lower – now they have done deep fake ads with a supposed video of my wife Lara Lewington being beaten up by an 'immigrant' as he was refused entry to 'Martin Lewis's Quantum AI' investment scheme as it isn't for 'outsiders'. We've had worried messages from friends. Social media firms have no problem taking money to publish this offensive, fake, organised criminals' attempts to rip people off!"
Criticism of Social Media Platforms
Lewis urged the public to report such content but expressed scepticism about platforms' willingness to act. "Clearly if you see these please report them. Yet I have no faith in any of these firms to clear up this crap as they're earning too much. And the implementation of the scam ads rules in the Online Safety Act keep being delayed and delayed," he added.
This incident is not the first time Lewis has been targeted by fake videos. In 2023, he was "frightened" by a likeness of himself promoting what claimed to be an Elon Musk-backed investment scheme, another hoax. At the time, he told BBC Radio 4: "My name and face have been the subject of scam adverts for many years. I get countless reports every day. I've had friends of mine get in touch with me at times saying, 'Hey, I've just put some money in that investment scheme you're advertising'. I don't advertise, I don't do investment."
Rising Deepfake Concerns and Government Response
There has been a significant increase in deepfake usage across social media, particularly on X, owned by Elon Musk. In January, Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to take "necessary measures" against X to prevent trolls from using its AI tool "Grok" to create manipulated images, including of women in bikinis and explicit images of children.
Sir Keir labelled Grok "disgusting" in a recent address to backbenchers, stating the government would "strengthen existing laws" and "prepare for legislation if it needs to go further." In response, Tech Secretary Liz Kendall announced plans to ban nudification tools through amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, currently at the report stage in the Lords.
Broader Social Media Regulations
This development follows the Labour government's revelation that children under 16 could be banned from social media before the year's end. Starmer emphasised the need to act in "months, not years" after unveiling plans for an Australian-style ban on children's social media use. The initiative is set to launch this month, with a report due in 12 weeks, potentially allowing for legal changes before 2027.
The Prime Minister stated: "We also need to act very quickly, not just the age concern, but on the devices and applications that make the sort of auto-scrolling, the constant gluing to the machine that you can never stop scrolling."
