Ann Jensen, a woman from Salisbury, Wiltshire, was deceived into losing £20,000 through a fraudulent investment scheme, with scammers using deepfake technology to impersonate Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. This comes as new figures reveal that people lost a staggering £612 million to investment fraud last year.
Jensen was initially drawn in by a video featuring someone who appeared to be Sir Keir Starmer, who promoted a cryptocurrency investment opportunity. The video assured viewers that by investing just £200, they could start earning money from crypto trading. The scammers made the opportunity seem legitimate, claiming that her initial £200 investment had grown to over £2,500.
Encouraged by this supposed success, Jensen was convinced to take out a £20,000 loan to prove her financial readiness for a larger investment, with the promise that she would be able to recover the money. However, once the cooling-off period for the loan ended, she was unable to contact the fraudsters, who disappeared with her money.
The realization of being scammed left Jensen with an overwhelming sense of shock. “It felt as though my whole body had gone to liquid or air,” she said. Her bank informed her that she is responsible for the loans, which now total £23,000, and she has agreed to repay them in installments over the next 27 years.
Despite the emotional toll of the scam, Jensen refuses to label herself as “stupid.” “I do believe I was a victim of a crime,” she said. “It’s tainted me for life.”
This case highlights the growing risk of investment fraud, especially as fraudsters exploit deepfake technology to build trust and deceive victims into losing large sums of money.
