How much money was stolen through scams in early 2025 in the UK?

In the first half of 2025, criminals stole £629.3 million through scams and payment fraud in the UK.

What is the role of AI in recent investment scams?

AI is being used to generate convincing fake advertisements, often featuring fabricated endorsements from famous personalities to lure victims into fraudulent investments.

Who is Martin Lewis and why is his image used in scams?

Martin Lewis is a prominent consumer finance expert in the UK. His image is often misused by scammers in fraudulent online advertisements to gain victims' trust.

Home / Crime and Justice / Scam Victim Shares AI Ad Horror Story

Scam Victim Shares AI Ad Horror Story

25 Nov, 2025

•

Summary

Man duped by AI-generated celebrity ads for fake investments.
Criminals stole £629.3m through scams in early 2025.
Victim sought to leave family financial security.

A recent victim of a sophisticated online scam has shared his distressing experience to raise awareness about fraudulent schemes. He was lured by AI-generated advertisements on social media that falsely used images of prominent figures, including a Prime Minister and well-known media personalities, to promote an investment opportunity.

Motivated by a desire to provide financial security for his loved ones, the victim invested without realizing the advertisements were fraudulent. This incident underscores the alarming rise in payment fraud, with UK Finance reporting that criminals stole £629.3m in the first half of 2025, a 3% increase from the previous year.

Despite his embarrassment, the victim hopes his story will deter others from falling prey to similar scams. His experience serves as a stark warning about the evolving tactics of fraudsters and the potential impact of these crimes on individuals and families.

This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.