Crooks are distributing AI-generated deepfake videos of Prince William and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Facebook and Instagram to trick viewers into fraudulent cryptocurrency investments.
Researchers at Fenimore Harper have uncovered over 250 advertisements utilizing deepfakes of Starmer on Meta platforms since the UK election last month. The ads endorse a fraudulent crypto trading platform called "Immediate Edge," which claims to generate daily earnings of £1,000.
In one ad, the impersonated Starmer states, “Your life is about to change. I am Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Labour Party. I have been waiting for you. Today is your lucky day. I don’t know how you found this page, but you won’t regret it.”
Another advertisement features a fake Prince William, who declares, "Good afternoon, honoured citizens of the United Kingdom. I am pleased to announce that I, Prince William, and the entire Royal Family fully support Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s initiative and his new platform."
Individuals who click on the ads are directed to a landing page where they are asked to provide their names, phone numbers, and email addresses. This information is subsequently used to contact the victims and persuade them to deposit money into the fraudulent trading platform.
Research from Santander, published this week, reveals that over half of Brits (53%) have either not heard of the term deepfake or misunderstood its meaning, with just 17% of people feeling confident they could easily identify a deepfake video.
In response, Santander has initiated a campaign to highlight the dangers of deepfakes, creating its own deepfake videos featuring ‘finfluencer’ Mr Money Jar and Santander fraud lead Chris Ainsley to showcase the realism of such technology and inform the public on effective ways to protect themselves.
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