"Quantum AI" deepfake celebrity crypto-investment scam (Elon Musk / Martin Lewis impersonations)

"Quantum AI" is a fake crypto/AI "investment platform" promoted through AI-generated deepfake video ads on Facebook and Instagram that make Elon Musk, UK money expert Martin Lewis and other trusted public figures appear to personally endorse guaranteed, risk-free returns. Victims deposit a small starter sum (typically around $250-$400), watch a fabricated dashboard show their balance soaring, then are told to pay escalating "liquidity," "security" or tax fees to withdraw money that never returns. Roughly 6,000 victims across the UK, Europe and Canada lost a combined ~£27M, and the UK's FCA warns Quantum AI is an unauthorised firm operating through rotating clone domains. Elon Musk and Martin Lewis are impersonated victims who have publicly denounced the ads and have no connection to the operation. (This scam brand is unrelated to legitimate quantum-computing research that shares the name, such as Google's Quantum AI division at quantumai.google — the coincidental name is part of what makes the ads seem plausible.)

Fake endorsement · advertising since 2022

“Quantum AI is not an investment platform but a deepfake-fuelled advance-fee scam: the celebrity endorsements are fabricated, the growing balance is fake, and every "withdrawal fee" is just more money you will never see again.”

Our opinion, based on the public evidence below, as of 20 Jul 2026. How we work & right of reply →

The evidence — every signal, shown

Identity & legitimacy

Musk and Lewis are impersonated victims, not endorsers
Elon Musk and Martin Lewis have no connection to the scheme and publicly denounced it. Lewis told the BBC 'these people are trying to pervert and destroy my reputation in order to steal money off vulnerable people,' and no authentic Musk statement endorses Quantum AI. Both are victims of impersonation, not participants.
FCA warns Quantum AI is unauthorised, with rotating clone domains
The UK Financial Conduct Authority issued an official warning that Quantum AI (quantumai.co) is not authorised or registered to operate, and has published warnings on further similarly-named unauthorised entities including quantum-trading-ai.net, Quantum Asset AI, Quantum AI Miners and a 'Quantum Forex Trade' clone firm.

Payment

Small deposit, fake profits, then advance withdrawal fees
Victims are pushed to deposit a small starter sum of roughly $250-$400, are shown a fabricated dashboard of soaring profits, and are then told to pay further 'liquidity,' 'security,' tax or withdrawal fees to release funds that never return.

Ad behavior

Deepfake celebrity video ads on Facebook and Instagram
AI-generated deepfake videos that clone the face and voice of Elon Musk and Martin Lewis ran as ads on Facebook and Instagram, and Meta confirmed it removed the original Martin Lewis ad plus 'a number of copycat adverts using the same imagery.'
Spoofed news sites and cloaked adtech behind the ads
The operation funnels ad-clickers through spoofed news pages mimicking BBC, Forbes, CNN and CBC and uses cloaked adtech infrastructure to hide fake trading platforms and phishing pages from security scanners.

Complaints

~6,000 victims lost a combined ~£27M
Roughly 6,000 victims across the UK, Europe and Canada lost about £27M combined (figures drawn from leaked call-centre records reported by Swedish broadcaster SVT), with documented individual losses including a retired NHS doctor (~£50k), a retired stockbroker (£125k) and a Markham, Ontario woman who lost her CA$1.7M life savings after an initial $250 deposit.

Review authenticity

Regulators worldwide classify it as fraud with no consumer protection
There is no legitimate product behind Quantum AI; financial regulators such as the FCA and ASIC and consumer bodies like AARP treat it as investment fraud, and anyone who deposits has no recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service or FSCS compensation.

Sources

Reader reports — verified purchases only

Every report below came with an order confirmation or receipt we checked by hand. This is separate from our editorial verdict above — testimony from real buyers, not a star-rating that anyone can botch or buy.

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This verdict is our opinion, based on the public evidence shown above, as of the date published. If you represent this company and believe something here is wrong, we want to hear it — request a correction.