Investment scam UK: the celebrities and platforms in fake ads, 2026
In this article
In short: between 26 October and 5 November 2026 our contributors logged 25 fake investment ads in the United Kingdom. They used 14 famous people and sent readers to 16 different platforms. We reviewed 12 landing pages. Martin Lewis is in 16 of the 25 ads. The most common deposit asked for on those pages was £250.
The famous faces used
Every person below is a victim. Nothing suggests they authorised these ads. Do not believe what the ad or the page attributes to them.
| Person | Ads |
|---|---|
| Martin Lewis | 16 |
| Jim Ratcliffe | 5 |
| Nigel Farage | 4 |
| Rachel Reeves | 4 |
| Laura Kuenssberg | 4 |
| Chris O’Shea | 4 |
| Susanna Reid | 4 |
| Andrew Bailey | 2 |
In July 2023 Martin Lewis warned about a deepfake investment scam video using his face and said he never advertises or promotes investments, according to Infosecurity Magazine. The full ranking across countries is in our celebrity article.
The platforms advertised most
Quantum AI leads with 6 ads. Next, with 2 ads each: Level Worthanden, Candor Bondimary, Keen Reckonvault and Prizantment. The names change often; see why platforms rename themselves.
Which news outlet they copy
In our captures, 2 pages imitated the BBC (BBC outlet page). The BBC is a victim: someone copied its look to make the ad seem like news. More in our investigation of copied outlets.
What the fake pages tell you
Of 12 screenshots, three stories appeared at least three times. See the seven scripts.
- Secret revealed (about 7 screenshots): a famous person supposedly reveals a secret in a debate or interview.
- Live broadcast interrupted (about 5 screenshots): a TV show supposedly cut off because of “the method”.
- Government programme (about 3 screenshots): an “official” scheme to share money.
All of this is invented. One page carried this made-up testimonial: “today I have more than £27,250 in the account”. It is false.
What they ask for
The screenshots that mentioned a deposit asked for £250 (5 screenshots). We found no usable figure for promised monthly gains. The small first payment is the hook; see why scams ask for £250.
Where they send you
One broker domain came up, in 4 ads: global-reserve[.]co, listed on its broker page.
What to do in the UK
- Report it: Report Fraud (the service that replaced Action Fraud) takes reports for England, Wales and Northern Ireland at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
- Check the firm: the FCA register is at register.fca.org.uk.
- Call your bank straight away.
Report Fraud said on 29 October 2026 that, from January to August 2026, people lost £24.3 million to AI-enabled investment fraud, including deepfakes. It counted more than 1,300 reports, and nearly 80% (1,033) came from people aged 60 or over (notice, published via WiredGov).
More help: victim guide, how to report in detail and withdrawal fees.
Limits of this data
This is a short sample of 11 days, collected by contributors who click on ads. The figures count ads and captures, not victims or money lost. The script counts are indicative: in a review of 25 screenshots, 6 had the wrong or an incomplete script. If a platform is not listed here, that does not mean it is safe.