How to spot a deepfake scam
A deepfake is a voice, video or photograph made by a computer to look or sound like a real person. Criminals now use them to pretend to be someone you trust. The tools are cheap and the results are good enough to fool careful people, so the defence is a habit rather than a sharp ear.
Cloned voice calls
The call sounds like your grandson, your daughter or your boss. They are in trouble, they need money now, and they ask you not to tell anyone. The voice may be a copy built from a few seconds of them speaking online.
Fake video calls and celebrity adverts
The same trick works on video. A face on a call can be generated, and well known people appear in fake adverts and clips recommending an investment they have never heard of. A famous face selling a way to get rich is a warning, not a reassurance.
The signs
- Urgency: it has to happen now.
- Secrecy: do not tell anyone else.
- A new payment route: a different account, a gift card or cryptocurrency.
- Odd pauses, or mouth movement that does not quite match the words.
- Poor or strange lighting on the face, or blurring at the edges.
What to do
- Hang up and call back on a number you already know for that person or company.
- Agree a family safe word or phrase. In September 2024 Starling Bank urged people to agree a safe phrase with family and friends.
- Never move money because of a call or message alone.
- To reach your bank safely, call 159. It is a Stop Scams UK service.
How to report it
- Forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
- Forward scam texts, free, to 7726.
- If you have lost money or been hacked, report it to Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud on 4 December 2025, at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040.
- In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
Questions people ask
Can a scammer really copy my relative's voice?
Yes. A short clip of someone speaking, taken from a video or a voicemail, can be enough to make a convincing copy. Treat a voice on its own as no proof of who is calling.
What is a family safe word?
A word or phrase agreed in person with the people close to you and never written in a message. If a caller claiming to be one of them cannot give it, hang up and ring them on a number you already know.
What does 159 do?
159 is a Stop Scams UK service that connects you safely to your bank, so you can check whether a call claiming to be from it is genuine.
More on this site: Staying safe and how I check a classic car advert.
Sources: www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing, www.ncsc.gov.uk, www.reportfraud.police.uk, www.stopscamsuk.org.uk/159.
Checked 19 October 2026.
If you have been scammed, call your bank on 159 and report it at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040.
This is general advice from one person's experience, not a service; your bank and the police come first.