Deepfake images used in investment scam impersonating BBC presenter Naga Munchetty
BBC presenter Naga Munchetty discovered paid advertisements on X and Facebook featuring deepfake nude images of her promoting a fake investment scheme. The ads directed people to fraudulent websites impersonating BBC News articles, designed to convince victims to invest money with scammers.
What happened
Paid advertisements appeared on X and Facebook featuring crudely photoshopped fake nude images of BBC presenter Naga Munchetty. The ads directed users to fake news articles made to resemble BBC News articles, complete with BBC logo and branding, that falsely claimed Munchetty had been detained by the government after discussing a 'lucrative loophole' for making money on ITV's This Morning.
Reported impact
The fake articles contained links to a scam cryptocurrency trading website designed to trick people into giving their money to scammers. BBC legal team reported the website to the hosting service and it was taken down.
Index analysis
Munchetty and her BBC 5 Live production team investigated the scam and discovered scammers were using her name and image to defraud people. Other high-profile figures including Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis and wildlife presenter Chris Packham have reported similar misuse of their images in investment scams.
Governance controls
Meta said it removes content violating its policies against impersonation on Facebook and Instagram, and that it invests in technology to detect and enforce against scams. Munchetty noted that removing adverts from X has become more difficult since it changed ownership.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.