Story perspectives

Russian-linked Deep-Fake Bailey, Farage Ads Trigger 380k Reactions

6/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

The deep-fake ad campaign, which posted AI videos of Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on X, has generated over 380,000 reactions.
Bailey warned the scams target vulnerable people online and urged the public to report the videos.
Bitdefender linked the videos to a Russian-language criminal network that uses AI for fraudulent investment schemes, while Full Fact identified about 100 similar empathy-driven posts.

1 of 1

Story summary

The deep-fake ad campaign, which posted AI videos of Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on X, has generated over 380,000 reactions.
Bailey warned the scams target vulnerable people online and urged the public to report the videos.
Bitdefender linked the videos to a Russian-language criminal network that uses AI for fraudulent investment schemes, while Full Fact identified about 100 similar empathy-driven posts.