Deep fakes of the UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been created for a series of financial scams that have appeared on social media platforms.
There are said to be over 250 videos featuring the politician, with the fake version promoting a scam cryptocurrency trading platform.
These were found by Fenimore Harper, a UK-based media insight and research firm, who says these adverts have appeared across Meta’s platform.
“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,” says a deep fake in just one of the adverts.
The scam directs people “to a fraudulent cryptocurrency trading platform called ‘Immediate Edge.’ The videos are estimated to have reached up to 891,834 people.
“The campaign suggests that ‘Immediate Edge’ is part of a new ‘project’ or ‘platform’ endorsed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer which can earn its users life-changing sums of money.”
If people click on the deep fakes, it takes them to a landing page where they are asked to input their name, phone number, and email address. Once the information is collected, the victim is then contacted and encouraged to make deposits into a fake online trading platform.
“When the victims request to withdraw their funds, the scammers disappear and the victims never see their money again.”
Research firm says ‘disinformation on Meta’s platform is getting worse,’ following deep fake videos
With at least 15 adverts still running, the media insight firm says a “portfolio of measures need to be identified and implemented with haste.
“As a first step, we believe that even more transparency, from all online platforms, will allow the public to better scrutinize and understand the information they are being presented with.”
Featured Image: Via Number 10/Simon Dawson on Flickr
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