The beloved presenters of “The Grand Tour,” Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, are unwittingly starring in a new and sinister drama, far removed from their usual automotive adventures. The trio have fallen victim to criminal schemes, with their images being deepfaked by scammers to promote cryptocurrency online. These fraudulent ads, featuring the familiar faces of the presenters, are designed to deceive innocent web users into parting with their money, leveraging the presenters’ trustworthy personas.
In March, James May, 61, took to Twitter to alert his followers about the fake ads. “I realise that my face has appeared in a number of scam posts about cryptocurrencies and retirement planning,” he tweeted. “It’s all balls, obviously, but, since I’m here, my genuine financial advice is to say ‘bo—cks to it’, and go to the pub.” May further revealed that his fellow presenters were also being used in these scams.
“It seems @JeremyClarkson is also appearing in these scam ads. He, too, is not really dispensing fiscal advice. And shouldn’t,” he wrote, adding humorously, “Now @RichardHammond is also supposedly at it. There’s grifting, and then there’s stretching credibility to the point where it snaps, flies back, and hits you in the plums.”
Clarkson, upon discovering his involvement, was quick to dismiss the ads. “To be clear. @MrJamesMay and I are not endorsing any kind of cryptocurrency. I don’t even know what cryptocurrency is. But it sounds ghastly.” He joked, “There might be a Clarkson’s Farm, but it seems there is no Clarkson’s server farm.”
May expressed his frustration to The Telegraph: “It’s very annoying. Most people realise it’s utter nonsense, but it only takes a few people to believe it. I reported it over a week ago and still haven’t heard anything. I don’t think X are particularly incentivised to deal with it because I presume these [scammers] are advertisers. I’m quite sympathetic to Elon Musk’s views on freedom of speech, but this is fraud.”
The problem extends beyond these presenters. Celebrities are increasingly powerless against the surge of fake advertisements online. Unlike a fake billboard in the real world, online scams can be difficult to detect and remove, especially as they often target specific demographics. Clarkson, May, and Hammond are not alone; the late Hairy Biker Dave Myers also had a fake donation page set up in his name.
Older, white, middle-aged male celebrities like Clarkson, May, and Hammond are particularly vulnerable due to their reliable, blokeish reputations. Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, has also been heavily targeted. “If I was a scam crook I would choose Martin Lewis because you immediately think of him when you think of money saving or financial propriety,” May commented. “I don’t think you’d think of me, Jeremy Clarkson, or Richard Hammond. We’re famous for wasting money.”
Lewis’s face has become synonymous with scam ads, leading him to add “I DON’T DO ADS” to his profile picture on X. These scams began on platforms like MSN News and Yahoo, before moving to social media. Lewis has campaigned to include scam ads in the Online Safety Act, which became law last October. According to The Telegraph, one in 50 crimes in England and Wales now originates from platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Lewis highlights the impact of these scams: “It ruins people’s lives. It destroys their finances, destroys their self-esteem, it can absolutely knock people’s mental health on a temporary or permanent basis once they realise they’ve given away a huge chunk of their life savings.”
Ilya Brovin, chief growth officer at Sumsub, notes that these scams often target older, less tech-savvy victims. “Using middle-aged, or even slightly older, figures could potentially be targeted at people who are very used to phone calls, or believing what they see in media,” he says. Cryptocurrency is a prime target due to its unregulated nature, making it difficult to trace and recover lost funds.
Real celebrities like Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Larry David have legitimately endorsed cryptocurrencies, blurring the lines for consumers. Kim Kardashian was fined for not disclosing her payment to promote a cryptocurrency token, adding to the confusion.
The responsibility of big tech firms like X and Meta in regulating these scams is a contentious issue. Brovin suggests that while regulators could force these companies to do more, educating the public is equally crucial. “For them, it’s about being aware, and educated,” he says.
Lewis argues that economic incentives are key: “Very simply, until we make it cost big tech more money to publish scam ads than they make from publishing scam ads, we will not stop scam adverts.”
In conclusion, the next time you see an online ad featuring May, Clarkson, or Hammond promoting something, it’s wise to be skeptical—even if it seems like a great deal on a car.
