Bank of England warns of AI scams as deepfakes of Farage-Bailey fight spread

Governor urges people to report images on X that falsely show the men clashing in the Question Time studio

The Bank of England has warned the public against falling for AI-generated scams after deepfake videos of Nigel Farage fighting its governor spread online.

Andrew Bailey, the head of the BoE, said AI-generated content related to central banks was spreading and urged people to be “vigilant”.

He spoke out after the videos of the Reform UK leader and Bailey fighting on the set of BBC One’s Question Time appeared on the social media platform X.

The videos showed the men being separated by police officers and even depict Farage holding a gun while he grapples with Bailey.

Bailey urged the public to report the videos so they could be taken down.

“Unfortunately, fake adverts impersonating the Bank of England and other central banks are on the rise,” he said.

“These scams are designed to criminally exploit the public, especially the vulnerable, when they are online. I would urge everyone to stay vigilant and report these scams. That way authorities can better root out digital deception like this and permanently remove the fraudsters responsible for what is a truly online scourge.”