How scammers use fake ads, cloned news pages and deepfake videos of executives to sell bogus investments, and how brands can detect, report and remove them.
A video appears in someone’s social feed: a well-known chief executive, apparently speaking from a stage, recommends a new investment platform that “guarantees” monthly returns. The voice sounds right, the logo is correct, and the ad links to what looks like a news article. None of it is real. Fake ads and deepfake endorsements have become a standard tool of investment fraud, and the brands and executives whose names are used pay a real price in trust.
How the scam is built
Most campaigns follow a similar funnel:
- The ad. A paid post on social media, a video platform or a search engine uses a brand logo, a celebrity or a company executive. Increasingly the creative is a deepfake video or a cloned voice.
- The pre-landing page. The ad leads to a fake news story or interview, styled like a real publication, describing how ordinary people are getting rich with the platform.
- The sign-up form. Victims leave a name and phone number and are told an “account manager” will call.
- The call and the dashboard. A persuasive caller guides the victim through a small first deposit. A fake trading dashboard shows impressive profits, encouraging larger transfers, sometimes via remote-access software installed “to help”.
- The exit. When the victim tries to withdraw, new “taxes” or “fees” appear, and eventually the platform disappears.
Why your brand is a target
Scammers borrow trust. Banks, brokerages, energy and technology companies, media outlets and well-known executives are all attractive because people already associate them with money or credibility. Even if your company has nothing to do with investments, a deepfake of your CEO can be enough. The fallout lands on you: angry customers, press questions, regulator attention and, for the executives involved, a personal reputation problem.
Detecting fake ads is harder than detecting websites
- Cloaking. Many ads show a harmless page to the platform’s reviewers and the real scam only to targeted users, often filtered by country, device or time of day.
- Rotation. Ad accounts and landing domains change quickly, so a single report rarely ends a campaign.
- Limited visibility. You only see ads targeted at you. Public transparency tools such as the Meta Ad Library and the Google Ads Transparency Center help, as do keyword searches for your brand and executives’ names combined with words like “investment”, “earn” or “bonus”.
How to respond
Report the ads as the rights holder
Major ad platforms provide forms for trademark and impersonation complaints that rights holders can use, in addition to the ordinary “report ad” button. Reports from the brand owner or its authorized agent, with trademark details and a letter of authorization, are generally taken more seriously than anonymous flags.
Take down the landing pages
The ad is only the entrance. The fake news page, the sign-up form and the trading dashboard are websites that can be reported to hosts, registrars, CDNs and browser blocklists, just like any phishing site. Removing them breaks the funnel even if new ads appear.
Report deepfake videos
Most platforms have policies against impersonation and misleading manipulated media. Report the video itself, not just the ad, and include a link to the executive’s official, verified account for comparison.
Use regulatory channels
Financial regulators in many countries publish warnings about unauthorized investment firms. In Türkiye, the Capital Markets Board (SPK) publishes such warnings and acts against unauthorized investment websites, including by seeking access blocking. Your legal and compliance teams should decide when to involve regulators.
Prepare before the next deepfake
- Publish a clear statement that your company and executives never promote investment returns through ads or messaging apps.
- Maintain verified accounts for key executives and list them on your website.
- Agree in advance who confirms that a video is fake and who speaks to the press.
- Give customer service a short script and a reporting route for victims.
Phishvoid reports fake ads, deepfake videos and the scam websites behind them across ad platforms, social networks, hosts and blocklists, under your signed letter of authorization. Book a free exposure scan or report a phishing site you have seen.
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