Deepfake video of Sir Stelios impersonates crypto scam
A deepfake video impersonating easyGroup founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou was used in social media advertisements to promote a fraudulent cryptocurrency and currency trading scheme called 'easyProfit', promising high returns. The video and associated websites were designed to deceive and defraud the public of their savings.
What happened
A deepfake video created using artificial intelligence falsely used the name and image of Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of easyGroup, to promote a fraudulent investment scheme called 'easyProfit'.
The video was distributed through social media advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, directing viewers to fake websites such as https://lians.online/esprofit, which promised returns of up to 96% from cryptocurrency and currency trading transactions.
The website displayed an error page (404), indicating the organized nature of the scam.
Reported impact
The scam was designed to deceive the public and defraud them of their savings.
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou issued a public warning, characterizing the incident as a 'blatant and extremely harmful case of fraud and trademark theft', and called on citizens to report the misleading advertisements.
Governance controls
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou pledged to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice, and committed to maintaining confidentiality and anonymity for anyone providing relevant information.
The public was directed to report any advertisements, websites or accounts impersonating easyGroup entities at https://easy.com/contact/.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.