BBC farming star Gareth Wyn Jones in North Wales was sent AI-generated deepfake videos and demanded £2000 to prevent their online release
BBC Farmer Targeted in £2,000 Deepfake Sextortion Plot
Gareth Wyn Jones, 58, known as “the nation’s favourite farmer,” is the target of a £2,000 deepfake “sextortion” plot. He has two million social media followers and presented the BBC documentary series The Family Farm.
Gareth’s family has farmed the same land in North Wales for 375 years. He stated that his work as an influencer has made him a target of an AI blackmailing scheme.
Gareth, who lives on a farm in North Wales, received an AI-generated deepfake video of himself with an unknown woman. He was allegedly told to pay £2,000 to prevent the footage from being shared online.
Gareth refused the demands and threatened legal action against the blackmailer. The blackmailer reportedly said, “You have to pay me £2,000 or I will log into your Facebook account and post about your sex video with me and pictures.”
The blackmailer also threatened to call Gareth’s wife and post the video on social media. Gareth described the experience as “very scary” and referred to the blackmailers as trolls.
He stated, “They demanded payment for a video with this woman, but I can tell you for a fact there are no images or videos of me with this woman. The whole thing was obviously AI generated.”
Gareth noted that the larger the profile, the more tempting the opportunities for scammers. He said, “They were clearly professionals, and had I been more weak-willed, I might have caved in.”
Gareth explained that the scam began when someone contacted him online, claiming to sell goats for £5. He said the clips sent by the blackmailers “were not convincing.”
The profile picture of the account changed to a woman after the initial contact, leading to the blackmail attempt. Gareth mentioned that the blackmailers sent an AI clip that “didn’t look realistic” to pressure him into paying.
He later shared his experience with his followers to warn them about the scam. However, his social media account was shadowed by Meta, limiting his reach.
Gareth said, “I’ve since been contacted by other people who have been targeted by similar scams, so it’s not just me.” He expressed frustration with Facebook’s actions after he posted a warning about the scammers.
He stated, “I posted it on my Facebook page saying these are dangerous people, be careful – and Facebook came after me. They’ve restricted and shadowed my page, and it’s really frustrating.”
Meta later claimed that the post had been removed by mistake and has since reinstated it.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Gareth Wyn Jones |
| Age | 58 |
| Location | North Wales |
| Social Media Followers | 2 million |
| Amount Demanded | £2,000 |
| Years Farming | 375 |
