Thousands of people across the UK have fallen victim to a sophisticated scam operation, using celebrity images to deceive unsuspecting targets.
A criminal network, based in Georgia, scammed people living in Europe, the UK and Canada out of $35 million.
Fake news reports posted on Facebook and Google using deepfake videos of celebrities including Martin Lewis and DJ Zoe Ball, were used to promote cryptocurrency and investment schemes.
Victims in the UK made up a third of all reported scam cases, leading to a total loss of £9 million.
A major leak of scam call centre data to Swedish broadcaster SVT exposed the fraud, with files later shared with OCCRP, The Guardian, and other international partners.
Despite the Government introducing a new set of laws designed to increase children and adults’ online safety – the sections that protect against scam advertising by organisations will only start next year.
Referring to themselves as ‘skameri’ – Georgian for scammers – the criminals based themselves in three separate office blocks in Tbilisi.
They persuaded older people, small business owners and employees to transfer them millions from their savings accounts.
According to data collected from May 2022, the Georgian scammers tricked 6,000 people across the globe out of $35 million.
Almost half of calls made by scammers were to UK based phone numbers and 650 victims who lost the highest amount of money were also from the UK.
Malicious adverts, often using deepfake imagery of Elon Musk, were posted on social media platforms by affiliate marketers who were employed by scammers to gather information and to scope out potential victims.
The Guardian reported on a retired NHS doctor in her seventies, who lost around £50,000 during 55 hours on the phone to scammers.
A leaked recording captured her pleading with someone she believed was a call centre agent: “I’ve spent all my savings – I have nothing left and can’t survive like this.”
“My brother is already asking me for the money I have borrowed from him back.”
Another UK victim, a retired London Stock Excange employee, spent more than 135 hours on the phone, during which he was convinced to part with £162,000 by cunning scammers.
MP Chi Onwurah, the chair of the Commons Science, Innovation and Technology committee told The Guardian: “The committee is currently investigating the spread of misinformation online.
“Our inquiry has raised significant concerns about the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act in tackling bad practices online, threats from AI and issues with the online advertising ecosystem.
“This case shows the urgency of addressing the shortcomings of the OSA to ensure that it can protect the public and ensure their online safety.”
Find out more about Impersonation Scams and how to avoid falling victim to them.
Have you lost money to a scam? Contact National Fraud Helpline. Call 0333 0033218 or fill out our Claim Form.