Reform leader Nigel Farage has urged X to take action regarding a series of fraudulent, AI-generated advertisements that depict him in a physical altercation with Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey.
The advertisements—showing the Reform leader and the Bank of England governor in various fabricated scenarios on a set reminiscent of BBC Question Time—have been repeatedly displayed to X users across the UK over the past several days.
Farage informed journalists on Tuesday that Reform UK had reached out to X on Monday "at the highest level," adding that he hoped the platform would act to remove the ads "incredibly quickly."
The BBC has contacted X for a response.
This follows the Bank of England also urging X users to report the advertisements if they encounter them.
"Unfortunately, fake adverts impersonating the Bank of England and other central banks are on the rise," Governor Andrew Bailey stated.
"These scams are designed to criminally exploit the public, especially the vulnerable, when they are online."
He urged the public to remain 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."
The advertisements have appeared repeatedly to X users in recent days, showing the two men arguing or fighting.
Some of the promoted posts falsely depict Farage kicking, grabbing, and lunging at Bailey on BBC Question Time, with some imagery also showing bruising on their faces.
"You may have seen some bizarre AI videos on this platform today," Farage wrote in a post on the platform on Monday evening.
"Whilst Andrew Bailey and I have our disagreements, I would never take it that far!"
Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to Grangemouth on Tuesday, he added that he did not know "whether to laugh or whether to be angry" about the fake ads.
"The trouble is it's an AI fake but it looks real in every way, and people know that the governor and I have had our disagreements over things over the years," he said.
Staying vigilant
Many of the advertisements viewed by the BBC were posted by X user accounts with blue ticks—a symbol indicating a subscription to the platform's Premium tier.
Platform owner Elon Musk previously touted changes to the verification badge as "the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over" after purchasing Twitter.
False AI ads of Farage and Bailey seen by BBC News also often displayed a fake "play" button to suggest they were a video that could be played by clicking on it.
By hovering over the links for some of the original posts used in the advertisements, the BBC was able to determine that many of them would direct people to sites promoting AI cryptocurrency trading schemes or apps.
In guidance on its website, the Bank of England states that neither it nor its staff endorse or advertise any products.
"We are aware of videos and adverts on social media platforms that appear to show senior Bank representatives endorsing investments or financial products. These are not genuine," it says.
The Bank also advises that if you see such content, you should not click on it or invest—instead, report the post or advert on the platform, and then to Action Fraud.
Additional reporting: Ewan Somerville
Why fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social media
EU investigates Elon Musk's X over Grok AI sexual deepfakes
Overseas 'content farms' creating political deepfakes uncovered
Martin Lewis on social media scam adverts: It's a wild west
Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.