Firm Falls Victim To AI Voice Fraud, BBC Presenter's Likeness Misused In Ad

Science presenter Liz Bonnin’s voice was mimicked by an AI-generated message for a fraudulent ad campaign promoting an insect repellant spray.

Her management team discovered it upon noticing the presenter's face featured in online advertisements for an insect repellent spray, a campaign in which she had not enrolled.

Howard Carter, the chief executive of Incognito, the company behind the botched campaign, asserted that he received several voice messages from someone he believed to be Bonnin.

Carter had previously sought Bonnin's endorsement before being contacted by a fake Facebook profile posing as her. The messages exchanged led him to believe it was her. The impostor also provided Carter with contact information.

Despite receiving what he believed to be a signed contract on March 13 and transferring £20,000 to a digital bank account on March 15, subsequent emails from Incognito were unanswered.

The campaign launched on Monday, but hours later, Bonnin publicly denied endorsing the company.