Martin Lewis, the popular Money-Saving Expert, has pleaded with anyone who uses social media to think twice before seeing his face in adverts. He warned that scammers continue to use his face for various online cons, and urges others to be careful to avoid making the same costly mistake.
During an appearance on ITV’s This Morning on May 7, Lewis responded to a viewer’s call for help following a family member’s £140,000 loss to a crypto scam advert. The victim had been duped by a fake endorsement using Lewis’ image.
The scam’s impact was laid bare as host Ben Shephard read out the distressing message. He told viewers and Martin: “My brother has been scammed.
“He thought Martin Lewis was dealing crypto, there’s all these AI adverts online. Over the few months he has lost £140,000 including money I have lent him and various bank loans.”
He added: “We’re all devastated he has fallen for this. He is very depressed, as you can imagine, as his wife has a very low-paid job. Where do we start getting him out of debt?”
Lewis fiercely criticised both current and previous governments for their approach towards regulating “big tech” amidst escalating online scams, describing the internet as “a wild west”. He called for stricter regulations to safeguard consumers from such rampant exploitation, reports Lancs Live.
He said: “See any advert with me in, I do not talk about crypto. I do not do advertising, I do not do investing.” He added: “Please don’t touch it.” Martin also noted that both he and other celebrities are frequently misrepresented in fraudulent advertisements on various social media and internet outlets.
Martin acknowledged that some headway had been made under the Conservative Government, which, after longstanding advocacy efforts, included scam advertising within the scope of the Online Safety Act. The Act aims to shield the public from deceptive ads by mandating online platforms to bear legal responsibility for thwarting and swiftly eradicating such content.
This entails steps to block users from coming across scam advertisements, reduce their prevalence on these platforms, and ensure rapid removal upon detection. Despite this progress, Martin believes the measures are inadequate, pointing out that any formal alteration of regulations could take years.
He advocates increasing the costs for scammers to publish these fraudulent ads. Additionally, Martin referred to the outcome of his 2019 legal action against Facebook, which culminated in a £3m fund to support an anti-scam initiative and the implementation of a new feature for reporting scam advertisements on the social network. Nevertheless, he cautions that these measures alone aren’t sufficient.
He stressed: “No one is protecting you when it comes to scam adverts. No one is looking after you. You have to look after you. Frankly, any advert you see on social media with a celebrity’s face, I just wouldn’t touch it.”
To spot fake ads online, look for unrealistic offers, poor design, suspicious URLs, and urgency tactics. Also, be wary of ads that demand payment upfront, lack company information, or have limited or no engagement.
To report a fake online ad, start by contacting the platform where you saw the ad, like Google, or the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). You can also report scams to Action Fraud or the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) if the ad led you to a suspicious website.