Sky News journalists and football players are at the center of a scandal with deepfake advertising of illegal casinos
Sky News journalists fell victim to scammers who used deepfake technologies to create ads for illegal gambling apps. Fake videos were posted on social media and urged users to download apps hiding illegal online casinos in the UK.
Earlier this month, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) released an updated report on the risks associated with money laundering and terrorist financing. Among the new threats, the regulator singled out deepfake videos and AI-generated documents that allow bypassing identity verification procedures in casinos.
The UKGC obliges licensed online casinos to train staff to identify AI manipulations. However, the problem does not only affect operators – players also fall victim to scammers, as the recent case of Sky News journalists showed.
How it happened
Sky News journalists discovered a fake ad on Facebook, where a fake video with their participation has already gained about 250 thousand views. In the video, journalists allegedly reported on a "unique opportunity" for iPhone owners to make money by advertising the Heavenly Sphere application.
To enhance the effect of trust, the scammers also inserted a fake speech by "Tim Cook", the CEO of Apple, into the video. In reality, the original plot was dedicated to the lawsuit against Apple, but the scammers completely changed the text:
"We contacted Olivia, who won £500,000 in a week. Olivia, how did you do it?" "It's very simple: I downloaded the app and started playing."
According to deepfake technology expert Dr. Siwei Lyu, the videos were created by synchronizing the lips of real journalists with artificially generated text.
Scale of fraud
Meta reported that scammers distributed ads through dozens of accounts. At first glance, the apps looked harmless and were offered through the official App Store. But when they opened, they redirected users to illegal casinos that operated without a license in the UK.
After Sky News appealed to the UKGC, illegal sites were shut down, and Apple removed the suspicious apps from the store. The Commission reiterated the risks associated with unlicensed gambling, which contributes to the financing of criminal organizations and puts players at risk.
According to the UKGC, it has taken down more than 81,000 websites related to illegal gambling.
Football players also became victims
It's not just Sky News journalists who have been affected by this scheme. The captain of the Netherlands national team and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has become the face of fake advertisements for illegal casinos several times. In one case, scammers used his image to promote an unlicensed crypto casino.
Also in October 2023, there were cases of deepfake videos with Kevin De Bruyne, the star midfielder of the Belgian national team. Illegal operators No Limit Bet and ZumoSpin Casino even manipulated footage of NOS Journaal news releases to promote their platforms.



YellowPikmin Yes, I remember the Avengers slot... I caught such drifts there. I still regret that I did not take a screenshot, now you can't prove it.


AccurateShark28 And I bet on six different WTA matches – I won $180 with $10. But there are few days like this :)



thekidgamer52 PSG are really like a tank now. But finals are always nerves. Too often, the favorites fly from the "outsiders". I would take Inter with a handicap, the odds are good, the risk is justified.



Banditmask FILTH! There are simply no words. Forty pieces, so take and squeeze! Poor dude, I can imagine his condition.



CoreSleyes Dead or Alive 2 is still a legend. I have been playing it since 2019. There is still no feeling that it is outdated.
Van Dijk to Set Up in a Crypto Casino? You Need to Think It Out
What trash. Deepfake used to be a funny thing, but now it's all crime!
yes, quickly, in a week and a half, when a lot of people have already clicked on the links
And the UKGC did a really good job. They reacted quickly and closed the shop.
If even such serious people suffer from deepfakes, what can we say about ordinary users? The world is going crazy.
Even Apple doesn't protect?
I have always said that if the casino is so active in luring through advertising, then there is nothing to catch there!
Damn, now it's not clear at all what to believe on the Internet!