Pensioner loses £60,000 to deepfake crypto swindle

A VULNERABLE pensioner in the early stages of dementia was swindled out of nearly £60,000 in a cryptocurrency scam that utilised a deepfake video of Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis.

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Adrian Kearney, 71, pictured, was duped by a fraudulent advert on Facebook, which promised significant returns for a small investment.

The great-grandfather, from Swansea, was tricked into giving control of his mobile phone to the fraudsters, who took out multiple loans in his name before draining his bank accounts.

Despite informing the scammer about his debilitating arthritis and chronic lung condition, they encouraged him to continue, lauding his “resilience”. After £58,400 was drained from his bank accounts, the scammer - who claimed to be from a wealth management company ceased responding to messages.

Mr Kearney said: “I was gutted, I just felt absolutely terrible. I'm not a well person, I'm a bit like death warmed up, and I just wanted to curl up and die. I was a fool, and they say a fool and his money are soon parted. I feel like this is all my fault, because I went along with it.”

Martin Lewis has consistently cautioned people not to be fooled by adverts or websites featuring him.