Victim loses £250k after scammers use AI video of ‘well

Victim loses £250k after scammers use AI video of ‘well-known’ celebrity

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A person has lost £250,000 after falling victim to an AI-generated scam.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the victim saw what appeared to be an AI-generated video featuring a well-known personality from the financial sector.

The advertisement promoted an investment opportunity and claimed significant returns.

A spokesperson for the PSNI said an “apparent celebrity endorsement” should never be regarded as proof that an investment is genuine.

The PSNI did not confirm who the celebrity was who was used in the AI-generated video, but BBC News NI has seen scams online using financial experts such as Martin Lewis, Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett.

After initially investing a relatively small amount, the victim was contacted through WhatsApp and encouraged to make further payments.

Police said the fraudsters persuaded the victim in the Ards and north Down area to create multiple online accounts and gained remote access to their computer, claiming they were helping with the investment.

The PSNI described the scam as “sophisticated” and said the victim was encouraged to borrow money to continue investing, with funds transferred to accounts controlled by the criminals.

A spokesperson for the PSNI said the criminals gradually gained the victim’s trust before encouraging increasingly significant payments.

They added that fraudsters could create “extremely convincing” advertisements, websites and communications, with artificial intelligence also being used to fabricate videos, voices and apparent endorsements.

Superintendent Joanne Gibson, chair of the Scamwise Partnership, urged people to “stop and check” financial activity and encouraged families to talk to relatives about fraud.

Police have advised people to independently verify who they are dealing with and, where appropriate, check that anyone offering financial services is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Artificial intelligence
Internet fraud
Ards and North Down Borough Council
Northern Ireland
Police Service of Northern Ireland