Which? has urged the government to crack down on BigTech companies as they are “failing” to protect consumers from new convincing AI scams.

In its latest investigation, the consumer champion found scam videos on YouTube featuring realistic fakes of UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and the financial journalist Martin Lewis urging consumers to invest in a fraudulent scheme.

The AI-generated prime minister gave the false impression that the scam investments were backed by the government and effectively risk-free, while a separate video shows an AI-generated Martin Lewis appearing to back up the claims.

Which? said that the fake demonstrate how consumers are facing “an avalanche” of increasingly sophisticated scams as AI removes many of the barriers that made it difficult in the past for criminals to produce convincing content.

As platforms such as YouTube and Meta are unwilling to block dangerous and misleading content, Which? said it wants the government to ensure its fraud strategy forces BigTech firms to take responsibility.

According to research by Which?, around 20 per cent of people who have made investments trust online influencers when it comes to making investment decisions despite warnings from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) against this.

The consumer organisation said it recently found eight videos on YouTube linked to Quantum AI, a scam investment platform which the FCA warned about in May.

The fraudsters operating the scam platform ask people to invest, with investors find themselves unable to withdraw their earnings or get their money back.

Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for YouTube said: “Phishing is prohibited on YouTube and when we find content that violates our policies, we take action.”

Which? also warned that AI his being used for other scam practices, with the organisation witnessing realistic fake online clothes shops with their own websites and social media accounts.

Which? said it is concerned this is another example of the kind of scam that could surge in the next few years unless online firms are forced to take action.

Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy, said that AI is making it much harder to detect real from fake and fraudsters are “ruthlessly” exploiting this fact.

“All the while, BigTech platforms that many of us use daily are simply not doing enough to prevent scammers from operating on their sites, putting their users at risk,” she added. “In order to properly protect UK citizens from fraud, the government must devise an action focused Fraud Strategy that gets tough with BigTech and other weak links that are enabling fraudsters to flourish online”

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