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Consob blocks 17 sites using deepfake Italian politicians for crypto scams
Italy's financial regulator Consob shut down 17 websites using deepfake videos of prominent Italian politicians to fraudulently promote unauthorized cryptocurrency and investment services. The sites impersonated political figures including Prime Minister Meloni to deceive consumers into engaging with unlicensed financial offerings.
16 October 2025 · Consob · Fraud, scams and manipulation
Consob, Italy's financial regulator, blocked 17 websites that used deepfake videos of Italian politicians including Meloni, Salvini, Schlein and Calenda to promote unauthorized cryptocurrency and financial services.
The sites featured manipulated video endorsements to fraudulently promote crypto assets and unlicensed investment products.
Reported impact
The deepfake advertisements were designed to deceive consumers into engaging with unauthorized crypto and financial services.
Index analysis
The use of synthetic media impersonating well-known political figures created the appearance of legitimate endorsement, bypassing consumer skepticism by exploiting the recognition and authority of the cloned individuals.
Governance controls
Consob identified and suspended the fraudulent sites, taking enforcement action against the unauthorized financial service providers.
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.
Agenparl
++ Politici "clonati" e servizi abusivi su cripto-attività e strumenti finanziari. Meloni, Salvini, Schlein e Calenda: oscurati dalla Consob tre siti che promuovevano spot-truffa. Bloccati anche altri 14 indirizzi web irregolari(Comunicato del 16.11.25)++ - Agenparl