Financial expert Martin Lewis has delivered a powerful and unequivocal warning about the proliferation of 'disgraceful' online adverts created by vicious criminals who are misusing his name and image to defraud people.
His strong message came during an appearance on ITV's 'This Morning', where he heard the devastating story of Gill Casey, whose late husband, Tim, was 'brainwashed' by a scam after seeing a fake promotion purporting to involve Mr.
Lewis.
Ms.
Casey described how her husband, an intelligent man in his early 80s, was drawn in by a deepfake clip recommending crypto trading.
He was then relentlessly contacted by a scammer who persuaded him to invest more and more money, spending two hours on the phone with him up to three times a week.
The criminals stole around £90,000 from the couple before they requested to withdraw the money.
At this point, the scammers demanded a supposed 'tax bill' of £30,000, which Ms.
Casey's husband borrowed and paid, only to be hit with further demands.
The emotional toll of the crime was immense, stealing her husband's dignity and self-confidence.
Lewis reiterated his long-standing warning: 'I do not do adverts.
I do not recommend make-money products.
I do not recommend crypto trading or investment schemes.' He explained that the scams often start with a small initial investment and then use 'brainwashing' tactics to convince victims to hand over more money.
He pointed out the obvious red flags, such as scammers spending hours on the phone with a single person, which no legitimate company would do.
Lewis expressed his anger that his name, which he has built on fighting for consumer financial justice, is being used to rip off vulnerable individuals.
He revealed that criminals are even using deepfake AI technology to create videos of him recommending these scams, underscoring the sophisticated and deceptive nature of the fraud.
His message to the public is clear and direct: 'If it seems too good to be true, do not do it.'
His strong message came during an appearance on ITV's 'This Morning', where he heard the devastating story of Gill Casey, whose late husband, Tim, was 'brainwashed' by a scam after seeing a fake promotion purporting to involve Mr.
Lewis.
Ms.
Casey described how her husband, an intelligent man in his early 80s, was drawn in by a deepfake clip recommending crypto trading.
He was then relentlessly contacted by a scammer who persuaded him to invest more and more money, spending two hours on the phone with him up to three times a week.
The criminals stole around £90,000 from the couple before they requested to withdraw the money.
At this point, the scammers demanded a supposed 'tax bill' of £30,000, which Ms.
Casey's husband borrowed and paid, only to be hit with further demands.
The emotional toll of the crime was immense, stealing her husband's dignity and self-confidence.
Lewis reiterated his long-standing warning: 'I do not do adverts.
I do not recommend make-money products.
I do not recommend crypto trading or investment schemes.' He explained that the scams often start with a small initial investment and then use 'brainwashing' tactics to convince victims to hand over more money.
He pointed out the obvious red flags, such as scammers spending hours on the phone with a single person, which no legitimate company would do.
Lewis expressed his anger that his name, which he has built on fighting for consumer financial justice, is being used to rip off vulnerable individuals.
He revealed that criminals are even using deepfake AI technology to create videos of him recommending these scams, underscoring the sophisticated and deceptive nature of the fraud.
His message to the public is clear and direct: 'If it seems too good to be true, do not do it.'
