'I was scammed out of £75k by Martin Lewis deepfake advert'

Des Healey, a kitchen fitter from Brighton, faced a devastating loss of £76,000 after falling victim to a scam advertisement on Facebook. The advertisement featured a deepfake of Martin Lewis, a well-known money-saving expert, alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk, promoting a non-existent bitcoin investment scheme. When Des met Martin in the BBC Radio 5 Live studio, it was an emotional moment for both. Martin expressed how difficult it was for him to meet someone who had trusted his image and lost a significant amount of money because of it. He has dedicated his career to helping consumers, and now he feels that criminals have tarnished his reputation. The incident occurred in August 2023 when Des came across the fake advertisement while browsing Facebook. He saw it as a golden opportunity to earn some extra money before Christmas, especially since his business was not busy at the time. The advertisement was cleverly designed to make it seem like Martin was conducting a TV interview from his home, endorsing the investment scheme. Des recalled having seen Martin on television stating that he never endorses such schemes, yet he found himself questioning why he believed the advertisement that day. As a self-employed tradesperson, Des was looking for ways to boost his income, and the ad seemed like a perfect solution. After responding to the advertisement, Des received a call from a man named Carl, who claimed to have over 20 years of experience as a financial adviser. Carl helped Des set up an account with Revolut, an e-money firm, and took an initial investment of £1,000. He assured Des that profitable months were ahead and that they would earn significantly more if they invested quickly. Shortly after the initial investment, Des noticed that his money appeared to be returned to his Revolut account. However, he was unsure if what he was seeing was genuine or a cleverly crafted fake page controlled by the scammer. Trusting Carl, Des transferred £5,000 into the account, which represented all of his life savings. Carl informed Des that to retrieve the £5,000, he needed to invest an additional £10,000. Des felt trapped, as he was not allowed to withdraw any funds until Carl gave him the green light. The £5,000 Des transferred was then moved out of the Revolut account by the scammer, who claimed it was being invested. In a desperate attempt to keep the scheme going, Des took out four loans from different providers, totaling £70,000. It was only when his son overheard one of the phone calls with Carl and raised concerns about the background music that Des began to question the legitimacy of the situation. His son asked, 'What bank or call center would be playing a rap song? ' and urged Des to report the matter to the police, suspecting that something was not right. Reflecting on his experience, Des described it as if a 'spell was cast upon me,' highlighting how easily he was manipulated. Martin commended Des for his bravery in sharing his story, emphasizing that it serves as a warning for others. He explained that scammers are highly skilled at psychological manipulation and use extensive online resources to steal money. Martin reassured Des that falling for a scam does not make someone foolish; it makes them a victim. He offered valuable tips for avoiding scams, such as being cautious of urgent offers and hanging up if someone calls asking for personal information. He advised calling back on a different phone to ensure safety. Des expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet Martin and share his experience, feeling that it was important to speak out and help others. A spokesperson for Revolut expressed regret over instances where customers are targeted by sophisticated criminals, stating that the company invests heavily in fraud prevention technologies to protect its customers.