Warning issued over deepfake ads that expose people to ‘the mercy of scammers’

Realistic deepfakes are leaving the public “at the mercy of fraudsters”, a consumer group has warned, after an experiment found hundreds of adults were unable to detect AI-generated content.

Consumer champion Which? is now calling on the Government to ensure regulator Ofcom can take decisive action against tech companies that fail to thwart these fraudulent schemes.

The warning is followed by a Which? Survey of 514 adults who were shown a mix of AI deepfake videos and real videos and asked to identify the original content.

Seven out of 10 people were unable to correctly distinguish between all real and fake videos; 8% got each one wrong, and 21% managed to identify only one correct clip.

One particularly convincing deepfake depicted a Boots team promoting an unlicensed weight loss product.

A spokesperson for the health and beauty retailer said: “These adverts are fake and we would urge our customers to be careful.

“We proactively monitor such content on social media and report anything we detect to platform owners and demand their immediate removal.”

The videos were also shown to experts at Kingston University, who were unable to accurately identify all of the content.

Half of survey participants who use social media said they believe they see deepfake videos at least once a day.

Global technology strategists Juniper Research estimate that social media companies will earn around £3.8bn in 2025 from fraudulent advertising in Europe alone.

Which? He said the Home Office’s fraud strategy, published earlier this year, would fail to stop scams from reaching people in the first place.

The watchdog called on the Government to ensure Ofcom takes action against tech firms that fail to prevent scams by enforcing a “robust code of practice” in the Online Safety Act.

Rocio Concha, Which One? Head of Policy and Advocacy said: “Our research into deepfakes on social media shows that the public and even experts are increasingly at the mercy of fraudsters who take advantage of inadequate security on social media platforms.

“This situation is troubling because we believe that tech giants who profit from scams on their platforms will not take adequate action against fraudsters unless they are legally required to do so.

“Ofcom must stop kicking ass and implement the Online Safety Act’s anti-fake advertising measures as soon as possible, and the Government must ensure this is done urgently and robustly.”

Voting was conducted by Deltapoll between March 6-9.

A Government spokesman said: “Fraudsters who trick people into giving up their money are committing a criminal offense and should expect to be punished. “This Government is backing its words with action, donating £79 million this year to tackle fraud directly.

“We have published a Fraud Strategy to protect consumers and disrupt criminal networks. However, platforms also have a responsibility to ensure that their sites do not provide a forum for material intended to defraud the public.

“Under the Online Safety Act, services that allow users to upload content or interact with others, including social media platforms, are required to proactively combat illegal fraudulent content. This includes false claims and fraudulent ads shared or created by users or face consequences.”