Big Tech failing to protect millions from wave of new convincing AI scams, Which? warns
The government must act urgently to get tough with Big Tech firms so consumers are protected from the next generation of AI-generated scams, Which? is warning.
In its latest investigation, the consumer champion uncovered scam videos on YouTube featuring convincing fakes of UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and the financial journalist Martin Lewis urging consumers to invest in a fraudulent scheme. The AI-generated prime minister gave the false impression that the scam investments were backed by the government and effectively risk-free. A separate video shows an AI-generated Martin Lewis appearing to back up the PM’s reassuring - but entirely false - words. In the video, he appears to claim that a fraudulent trading platform was “the UK’s most citizen-accessible government-backed AI tool ever created - and right now it’s helping thousands earn daily income starting from just a £200 deposit.”
The fake videos backing each other up in support of the same fraudulent scheme demonstrate how consumers are facing an avalanche of increasingly sophisticated scams as AI removes many of the barriers that made it difficult in the past for criminals to produce convincing scam content.
With platforms like YouTube, X and Meta seemingly unwilling to block dangerous and misleading content, Which? is urging the government to make sure its upcoming fraud strategy includes tough measures to make Big Tech firms take responsibility. The potential danger to consumers is underlined by new Which? research, which found that a fifth (20%) of those who made investments trust online influencers in that space when it comes to making investment decisions. This is despite the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warning more widely against trusting the advice of self appointed, unchecked financial influencers and their leading international efforts to shut these practices down.The latest tranche of eight YouTube videos uncovered by Which? were linked to ‘Quantum AI’, a scam investment platform. The FCA warned about this fraudulent platform in May this year.
Fraudsters operating Quantum AI initially ask consumers to invest - with the promise of large returns with minimal effort. While consumers may see initial profits, they quickly discover that they cannot withdraw any of their earnings or get investments back, meaning they can lose large sums of money. All of the ‘Quantum AI’ videos led to websites asking for users’ first name, last name, phone number and email address. These websites are used to harvest consumers’ data and are often created on legitimate domain registries. Phishing kits, a collection of tools to help fraudsters carry out phishing attacks, where scammers send victims messages purporting to be from reputable companies, are widely traded online to help fraudsters create websites to carry out these scams. Fraudsters have repeatedly created fake websites and news stories that look similar to respectable news outlets - including the BBC and Which? - in a bid to steal contact details.
AI is not just being used to create investment scams. Which? has also seen a recent spate of reports of realistic fake British online clothes stores. These stores have plausible backstories and their own websites and social media accounts - without the kind of tell-tale spelling and factual errors that would have been a red flag to consumers in the pre-AI era. Which? is concerned this is another example of the kind of scam that could surge in the next few years unless online firms are forced to take action to prevent these fake websites from purchasing advertising space on their services.Which? believes letting Big Tech self-police their platforms for fraud has failed, so it’s essential that Ofcom uses its powers under the Online Safety Act to take action against social media firms continuing to fall short - and that the regulator is encouraged to do so by the government.
The government must also use its fraud strategy to close legal loopholes that risk allowing fraudsters to shift their activity to bombarding consumers with scam ads via popular websites. This kind of open display advertising is not covered by the Online Safety Act. Ultimately, however, consumers will not be properly protected from fraudsters without a joined-up fraud strategy, devised by the government, which incentivises Big Tech, telecoms providers and banks to ensure fraudsters cannot tackle weak links in the system.
Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:
“AI is making it much harder to detect what’s real and what’s not.
“Fraudsters know this - and are exploiting it ruthlessly. All the while, Big Tech platforms that many of us use daily are simply not doing enough to prevent scammers from operating on their sites, putting their users at risk.
“In order to properly protect UK citizens from fraud, the government must devise an action focused Fraud Strategy that gets tough with Big Tech and other weak links that are enabling fraudsters to flourish online”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
Research
Yonder, on behalf of Which?, conducted an online nationally representative survey of 8,359 UK adults aged 18+. The fieldwork took place between 20th and 31st August 2025.
A survey from banking trade body UK Finance found that investment scams increased in value by 34 per cent in 2024 - UK Finance 2025 Fraud Report
Which? - Shoppers lured in by bogus fashion boutique
FCA leads international crackdown on illegal finfluencers
Right of replies
A spokesperson for YouTube said: “Phishing is prohibited on YouTube and when we find content that violates our policies, we take action.”
How to spot deepfake AI scam videos
People in the video have dodgy and unnatural lip-syncing.
Details such as the person’s hair, lighting and skin tone don't look believable.
Any blurring in the video.
Strange background noises or voices that sound robotic.
Unnatural facial expressions
Well-known celebrities are highly unlikely to be promoting investments or giving financial advice online
About Which?
Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, empowering people to make confident choices and demand better. Through our research, investigations and product testing, we provide trusted insight and expert recommendations on the issues that matter most to consumers.
Fiercely independent, we put people over profit - shining a light on unfair practices, influencing policy and holding businesses to account to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone.
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