Deepfake scam ads impersonating Nigerian public figures ran on Facebook for months until Meta removed them
AI deepfake videos impersonating prominent Nigerians, including Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, presidential candidate Peter Obi and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, were posted on Facebook to push fraudulent investment schemes. At least one, the Akpoti-Uduaghan video, was promoted as a paid ad. It promised N14 million a month on a one-off N430,000 investment. The Obi video linked to a phoney website copying Channels Television, which led to a form requesting users' names, emails and phone numbers. Meta confirmed to Premium Times that the ads and deepfake videos violated its policy. They stayed up for months and were only removed in July, after the newspaper contacted the company.
What the AI did
People used AI to make deepfake videos that imitated prominent Nigerians, including Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Peter Obi and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. In at least one case the video cloned the person's voice. The videos promoted fraudulent investment schemes on Facebook, and at least one was run as a paid ad. It has not been reported which AI tool was used.
First reported October 8, 2026 · Added to the register October 16, 2026 · 1 source
- Affected
- Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Peter Obi, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Tony Elumelu, Jim Ovia, Aliko Dangote
- Country
- Nigeria
- When it happened
- Not stated in the sources
- First reported
- October 8, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
If you use Facebook in Nigeria or your organisation has public figures. Facebook users in Nigeria were shown deepfake scam videos, at least one of them as a sponsored ad. One linked to a fake website with a form asking for names, emails and phone numbers. Public figures had their likeness and voices imitated to make the fraudulent schemes look credible.
What to check
- Monitor social platforms and ad libraries for deepfakes impersonating your executives or organisation.
- Report deepfake impersonation to the platform quickly.
- Publicly disclaim any endorsements you have not made.
- Treat investment ads that appear to be endorsed by celebrities with extreme scepticism.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Every fact and its source (5)
- Scam pitch in deepfakeInvest N430,000 to earn N14 million monthly“invest a one-off N430,000 to earn N14 million monthly”[1]
- Meta findingMeta confirmed ads and deepfakes violated its policy“Meta confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the ads and deepfake videos violated its policy.”[1]
- RemovalRemoved in July after newspaper contacted Meta“They were only removed in July after this newspaper contacted the social media company”[1]
- Data harvestingLinked page collected names, emails and phone numbers“The hyperlink on the page leads to a form requesting users’ names, emails and phone numbers.”[1]
- Meta enforcement figureOver 159 million scam ads removed last year“Meta said it removed over 159 million scam ads on Facebook last year alone”[1]
Sources
- Meta policies fail as scam ads, deepfakes impersonating Nigerian public figures litter Facebookpremiumtimesng.com · October 8, 2026
How this record is classified. Severity M (3/5): harm to individuals, or a policy breach with limited reach. OECD level: incident, an event in which an AI system led to actual harm. Evidence: Reported, meaning press reporting only.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and checked against them automatically before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened. Incidents are found through news feeds and the GDELT Project.
