British TV presenter defrauded via deepfake crypto endorsement scam on Facebook and Medium

Summary

Ben Fogle, a British TV presenter and adventurer, discovered that fake articles falsely claiming he endorsed a cryptocurrency investment scheme were circulating online. The scam targeted his followers and fans, including his own mother, who were misled into believing he had revealed a secret investment opportunity. The articles and pop-up ads were part of a sophisticated campaign that used deepfake video to lure victims like Mark, who lost at least £25,000 to a fraudulent trading platform called FX Admirals. The scam involved fake endorsements from public figures and redirected users to landing pages where they were asked to provide personal information. Facebook and Medium initially removed the fake articles after being notified by Fogle’s legal team, but the content resurfaced repeatedly. Fogle expressed frustration over the difficulty of tracking and stopping the scam, despite efforts by his legal team to investigate its origins.