AI-Generated Deepfake Videos of Farage and Bailey Used in Investment Scams on X
Fabricated clips on X showed a nonexistent clash between Nigel Farage and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, paired with fraudulent investment ads. Both men condemned the content and urged users to report it.
rte.ieAI-generated videos posted on X depicted a fabricated physical altercation between Nigel Farage and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey on the set of BBC Question Time. The clips were accompanied by fraudulent articles that promoted bogus investment schemes and directed users to fake websites claiming endorsement by Bailey.
Farage addressed the videos on social media, writing: "You may have seen some bizarre AI videos on this platform today.
In the footage, police officers appear to intervene to separate the two men. Bailey has never appeared on BBC Question Time. The accompanying fake articles described a made-up confrontation in which Bailey storms off the set after a "full-blown confrontation" with Farage.
Bailey condemned the deepfakes as an "online scourge" and warned they were being used to promote fraudulent investment opportunities. He urged social media users to report such content to X. Bailey said: "These scams are designed to criminally exploit the public, especially the vulnerable, when they are online.
I would urge everyone to stay vigilant and report these scams. " Scores of social media accounts shared the AI-generated content. Cybersecurity analysts at Bitdefender said similar scams involving Bailey had appeared previously and warned the activity appeared to form part of a global, coordinated investment scam ecosystem linked to Russian-speaking fraud groups.
A Bitdefender spokesman said the firm was confident the X campaign was linked to a scam network it had previously identified on Facebook. The Advertising Standards Authority has warned of a continuing trend of fraudsters using fake celebrity endorsements and AI-generated imagery. The incident has intensified scrutiny of X over its handling of AI-generated content.
Elon Musk acquired the platform in October 2022 and has faced criticism over reductions to content moderation and safety teams. Last week, Labour MP Jess Asato launched legal action against Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI over allegedly sexualised deepfake content generated by its chatbot Grok.
Asato, the MP for Lowestoft, claims users created fake images depicting her in a bikini, pregnant in a kitchen and being drugged ahead of a sexual assault.
She is seeking damages under the Data Protection Act and wants the High Court to ensure the chatbot complies with UK law.
