Case tbilisi-deepfake-crypto-boiler-room-ukDeepfake fraudUnited Kingdom
Leaked files expose Tbilisi call centre using Martin Lewis deepfakes to con 6,000 people
A 1.9TB leak to SVT, OCCRP and the Guardian exposed a Tbilisi boiler room of about 85 agents that used deepfakes of Martin Lewis, Zoe Ball and Ben Fogle to lure 6,179 victims into fake crypto platforms for about $35M.
CriticalAttack using AIStatus: Under investigationVerified case file
Open in the interactive mapCite this case
- Reported
- Mar 5, 2025
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Target
- Retail investors in the UK and Europe
- Severity
- Critical
- Triggered by
- A.K. Group call centre, Tbilisi (self-styled skameri)
- Actor type
- Criminal
- Reported loss
- $35M
- CVE
- None
What happened
A 1.9TB leak to SVT, OCCRP and the Guardian exposed a Tbilisi boiler room of about 85 agents that used deepfakes of Martin Lewis, Zoe Ball and Ben Fogle to lure 6,179 victims into fake crypto platforms for about $35M.
Impact: At least 6,179 victims worldwide lost about $35M; UK victims accounted for nearly a third, around £9M, with the largest single UK loss about £162,000. The UK represented about 45 percent of attempted calls.
Who triggered it
Actor: A.K. Group call centre, Tbilisi (self-styled skameri)
Attribution: Leaked recordings and CRM data link the operation to Georgian telemarketing firm A.K. Group; director Meri Shotadze and alleged boss Akaki Kevkhishvili did not respond to the Guardian.
Motive: Financial gain through fake cryptocurrency investment platforms and withdrawal fees.
How it happened
Attack vector: Social media ads with deepfake celebrity endorsements led to fake trading dashboards; agents posing as advisers groomed victims by phone and coached them to deceive bank compliance staff.
Root cause: Platforms ran paid adverts with AI-altered celebrity videos; cross-border enforcement gaps left a Georgia-based operation largely unreachable by UK police.
Timeline
- Tbilisi call centre begins targeting victims with fake crypto investment adverts
- Ben Fogle warns on Instagram about a deepfake of himself promoting crypto
- Guardian, OCCRP and SVT publish the Scam Empire investigation based on the leak
- Georgian prosecutors say they are looking into A.K. Group
Response
Georgian prosecutors opened a probe after journalists' inquiries; UK figures renewed calls for Meta and Google to block deepfake adverts. No arrests were reported at publication.
Current status: Under investigation
Sources (open in a new tab)
- The Guardian theguardian.com
- OCCRP Scam Empire occrp.org
- AI Incident Database incidentdatabase.ai
Cite this case
Leaked files expose Tbilisi call centre using Martin Lewis deepfakes to con 6,000 people. AI Threat Watch, case tbilisi-deepfake-crypto-boiler-room-uk, Mar 5, 2025. https://aithreat.io/cases/tbilisi-deepfake-crypto-boiler-room-uk/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/tbilisi-deepfake-crypto-boiler-room-uk/