MARTIN Lewis has revealed the bizarre fake story about Nigel Farage that convinced him the UK’s online scam problem is spiralling out of control.
The money-saving expert says fraudsters are now using increasingly sophisticated AI deepfakes, fake celebrity news stories and clickbait headlines to lure victims into dangerous “get rich quick” scams.
And among the fake stories circulating online was one outrageous claim that Lewis had been involved in a physical fight with Nigel Farage on live TV.
“There was one the other day where I had a fight with Nigel Farage on Question Time,” he told the Radio 4 Today programme.
“Clearly that didn’t happen.”
Martin Lewis says scammers are using shock headlines to trick people
Speaking about the growing wave of fake adverts and AI-generated scam content, Lewis warned that criminals are deliberately creating dramatic headlines to trigger panic, curiosity and urgency.
“I’ve had news stories in of me where I’m dead - which clearly I’m not,” he said.
“Where I’ve been beaten up.”
He added: “All of these are to engage you to click.”
According to Lewis, once victims click through, they are often pushed towards fake investment schemes or fraudulent crypto promotions promising huge returns.
The big warning Martin Lewis says everyone should remember
Lewis said people should now be extremely cautious about any celebrity advert they see online, especially on social media.
“I would avoid any form of celebrity advertising to anything that is either going to make you lose a lot of weight or get rich quick,” he warned.
Then he delivered an even stronger message: “I would not trust any advert on social media. Full stop.”
Scam phrases Martin Lewis says are huge red flags
The financial expert warned that many scam adverts follow the same pattern.
He said people should be wary of language such as:
- “Authorities don’t want you to know this”
- “Secret loophole”
- “Act now”
- “Limited time”
- “Get rich quick”
- “Hidden investment trick”
Lewis explained: “Any promises of urgency… any conspiracy against you type of language tend to be fraud.”
Why Martin Lewis says big tech should face tougher punishment
The founder of MoneySavingExpert says he has spent years trying to force tougher regulation on scam adverts.
He revealed he first sued Facebook over fake and misleading adverts back in 2018.
“This isn’t a new system,” he said. “We campaigned in 2023 to get scam adverts to be part of the Online Safety Act.”
But Lewis says enforcement has moved far too slowly.
He warned that under current timelines, major regulations may not fully arrive until the end of 2027.
“That means a decade of wild west flaccid regulation allowing big tech firms to take billions of pounds,” he said.
Lewis said one recent issue involving AI-generated abuse online particularly angered him.
Referring to concerns around AI image manipulation and harmful content, he quoted the Prime Minister saying: “If you profit from harm and abuse, you lose the right to self-regulate.”
Lewis then added: “Well, I think £4 billion a year from big tech of harm and abuse… crosses that threshold.”
“They want it to be easy to advertise,” he added.
“And because of that, they do not put checks and balances in.”
The one change Martin Lewis says could stop scam ads tomorrow
Lewis believes tougher penalties are needed to force tech companies to act.
“We have to make sure it costs them more to publish scam ads than the profit they make,” he said.
He also called for stronger advertiser verification systems and stricter controls before adverts are allowed online.Cybersecurity experts have repeatedly warned that AI-generated deepfakes are becoming increasingly realistic.
Many scams now realistically mimic:
- BBC-style news pages
- Celebrity interviews
- Financial news alerts
- Banking websites
- TV programmes
Martin Lewis warned that even experienced internet users can be caught out.
And he says one rule matters more than ever now: “If you see me in an advert, it’s automatically a lie.”
