UK Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis heads the NatWest Celebrity Scam Super League, which ranks the most significant cases involving the unauthorized use of a celebrity’s name or image to deceive consumers into making fraudulent investments.
The leading case involving Martin Lewis stands out, with an individual losing £150,000—more than double the amount lost in scams linked to Elon Musk, who comes in second with £62,000, and Jennifer Aniston, who is third with £58,000.
Lewis has raised concerns about deep fake videos being employed to impersonate him, providing consumers with misleading investment advice. The top case in NatWest’s report involved a cryptocurrency investment scam, where a victim was cold-called by a fraudster posing as the Money Saving Expert after they searched online for investment opportunities.
Other celebrities featured in the rankings include notable figures from film and television, such as Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, US reality TV star Dr. Bradley Schaeffer, Jeremy Clarkson, and actress Lauren Cohan from The Walking Dead.
Stuart Skinner, who leads the fraud prevention team at NatWest, stated, “Criminals increasingly exploit images of successful individuals or those known for financial advice to steal millions. Over one in ten consumers have fallen victim to fraud in the past year. We urge the public to be cautious of phony celebrity investment advertisements or if approached by someone claiming to be a celebrity. A collaborative effort with social media companies is essential to eliminate this type of fraud.”