Independent analysis reveals how fraudsters exploit celebrity endorsements, deepfake media, and fake trading platforms to target global investors
February 17, 2026 — New research published by BrokerListings.com warns that online investment scams using fake celebrity endorsements are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with criminals leveraging social media advertising, fabricated news stories, and AI-generated media to build credibility and pressure victims into depositing funds.
The research follows a fresh wave of warnings about how AI-powered investment scams are on the rise, with a February update from the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) noting it issued 10 scam ad alerts last year concerning adverts that used deepfake videos linked to investment scams, also warning that AI-generated media is becoming harder to detect.
The report, titled “Fake Celebrity Investment Ads Are Getting Better: Here’s How To Spot Them”,...
