Nigel Farage and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey have publicly condemned social media advertisements featuring deepfake images of the two men engaged in a physical altercation. The AI-generated pictures, which have been circulating widely on the platform X, depict Reform UK leader Farage grabbing, kicking, and even pulling a gun on Bailey during a fictional appearance on the BBC's Question Time programme. In some versions, Farage is shown with facial bruises.
AI-generated images fuel fake confrontation narrative
The deepfake images are designed to look like videos with a prominent play button, but sources indicate no actual video content exists. The posts are intended to lure users into clicking, leading to articles promoting investment schemes that Bailey has labelled as scams. One X user reported seeing the advert 'a million' times, with multiple variations of the bogus confrontation. Another user joked that the frequency of the images made them question whether the altercation had actually occurred.
Bailey and Farage respond
Andrew Bailey stated: 'Unfortunately, fake adverts impersonating the Bank of England and other central banks are on the rise. These scams are designed to criminally exploit the public, especially the vulnerable, when they are online. I would urge everyone to stay vigilant and report these scams. That way authorities can better root out digital deception like this and permanently remove the fraudsters responsible for what is a truly online scourge.' He added that the Bank had reported the adverts to both X and Reform UK.
Nigel Farage posted on X: 'You may have seen some bizarre AI videos on this platform today. Whilst Andrew Bailey and I have our disagreements, I would never take it that far!'
Cybersecurity experts link to Russian scam network
Cybersecurity firm Bitdefender told The Telegraph that the images are part of a 'global, co-ordinated investment scam ecosystem'. A spokesman suggested the network is linked to Russian-language scammers engaged in financially motivated criminal activity.
Broader issue of deepfake scams
Farage and Bailey are not the only public figures targeted. Last week, Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis revealed he was left in tears after a viewer contacted him, having given money to a company she believed he endorsed. He wrote: 'She then goes on to explain how she really wanted her flat and she gave more and more money. And she has nothing left to help with her disability.'
Tech Secretary Liz Kendall, speaking on Good Morning Britain, said she would 'definitely act on this'. She stated: 'I am really worried about these issues where people's faces are being used, AI is using fake images of people, these so-called digital replicas. This is another issue we've already said we are looking at, because people have got to be able to trust what they see.'
X has been contacted for comment.
