Surge in Celebrity Deepfake Scam Ads Reported by UK Watchdog

Advertising Standards Authority reveals 2024 data on the prevalence of fraudulent ads featuring public figures.

According to new data from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), scam advertisements using images of celebrities and other public figures were the most reported type of fraudulent content in 2024. The ASA’s Scam Ad Alert System noted that a significant majority of the alerts sent to online platforms involved deceptive ads that incorporated doctored or deepfake images of well-known personalities.

Last year, the ASA documented instances of scam adverts featuring prominent figures, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, television presenter Naga Munchetty, and others from the entertainment industry, such as Stacy Solomon and Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke.

Munchetty recently disclosed incidents where her likeness was used in misleading advertisements linked to fictional news reports.

These deceptive ads primarily promoted unverified investment schemes, including cryptocurrency scams.

Experts have raised concerns about the increasing sophistication of these scams, particularly due to advances in artificial intelligence.

The use of AI-powered deepfakes has made such fraudulent advertisements more convincing, presenting heightened risks for consumers.

In its recent update, the ASA noted a rise in Scam Ad Alerts, issuing 177 alerts to social media platforms and other online entities in 2024, a notable increase from the 152 alerts dispatched the previous year.

Jessica Tye, a regulatory project manager at the ASA, articulated that a significant factor behind these scams is the public's interest in celebrity news, often exploiting current events and popular narratives.

The ASA highlighted that X (formerly Twitter) received multiple alerts regarding scam ads in 2024, with critics suggesting that reduced content moderation following Elon Musk's acquisition in 2022 led to increased visibility of such fraudulent content.

Of the 22 alerts sent to X, the ASA reported that the platform did not respond to 72% of them initially; however, following a resolution regarding communication discrepancies with the ASA, X’s response rate improved to 80% in the last three months of 2024.

Tye indicated that scammers employ various digital techniques, such as 'cloaking,' wherein they show different content to advertising platforms than what is presented to potential victims.

This tactic complicates detection and enforcement efforts.

The ASA has implemented the Scam Ads Alert System to facilitate public reporting of fraudulent ads and to take action against such content.

Tye emphasized the importance of public participation in reporting suspicious ads to help mitigate their spread, although she noted that solving the issue of scam ads is not solely the public's responsibility.

Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?, commented on the need for more stringent measures to tackle online fraud, criticizing what she termed a slow and inadequate response system currently in place.

Concha called for the timely implementation of the Online Safety Act, which aims to establish specific requirements and penalties for online platforms failing to eliminate scam ads, as existing measures have proven insufficient.