BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has spoken out after becoming the target of a deepfake scam, in which fraudsters superimposed her face onto explicit images to lure victims into online schemes.
The 51-year-old told the Times that criminals used her likeness in paid advertisements on platforms including X and Facebook, designed to redirect users to fraudulent trading websites. “My head was put on a naked body and used as clickbait to drag people into a scam site,” she said.
Munchetty said she was not personally distressed by the explicit images, but was angered by the intent behind them. “I wasn't upset that my face was on a naked body, because I knew it was fake, but the fact that it was being used to lure people into being scammed made me so mad. I am outraged and furious,” she added.
The altered images were styled to resemble legitimate BBC News content. Users who clicked on the adverts were redirected to fraudulent trading platforms designed to extract money. Munchetty said the scheme relied on her recognisability to gain trust and encourage people to part with their savings.
She first became aware of the images in February last year, describing her initial reaction as a mix of confusion and disbelief. Rather than ignore the issue, she raised it with colleagues at Radio 5 Live, and together they uncovered a coordinated attempt to exploit her identity as part of a wider fraud.
Munchetty noted she is not the first high-profile figure to be targeted, citing Martin Lewis and Chris Packham as others who have faced similar scams. “Scammers are smart, conniving, manipulative, wicked people,” she said.
