A fraudulent article falsely claiming to be published by the BBC is circulating online, using the name of consumer finance expert Martin Lewis to promote scam investment schemes. The webpage hosting the article uses the domain “fairgrovento.info” rather than the official BBC News website and does not resemble the BBC’s standard news layout. No record exists of the BBC publishing such a report.
The fake article has been promoted through paid advertisements on Facebook and features an image that appears to show Martin Lewis being arrested by police officers. However, the image is not genuine and was likely created using artificial intelligence. Visual inconsistencies include male officers wearing bowler hats—typically worn only by female officers—and distorted, unreadable text on a police uniform.
False claims involving Martin Lewis have circulated on social media before. Scammers have repeatedly used his name and image without permission to lend credibility to fraudulent financial schemes.
In 2018, Lewis took legal action against Facebook over scam advertisements falsely linking him to investment opportunities. The case was resolved in 2019 after Facebook agreed to donate £3 million to Citizens Advice for anti-scam efforts, cover Lewis’ legal costs, and introduce a reporting tool to help users flag scam advertisements.
The incident highlights how scammers continue to exploit trusted public figures, well-known media brands, and AI-generated content to deceive users and promote fake financial services online.
