Banco Santander · AI used against the institution · severity 1 of 5
In July and August 2025 Spanish fact-checkers reported YouTube and Facebook videos in which an AI-cloned voice of Banco Santander executive chair Ana Botín promoted an investment platform. Maldita.es reported on 31 July 2025 that the Botín clip was built from February 2025 footage and posted by an account registered on 21 July under a newspaper's name. RTVE Verifica reported on 4 August 2025 a fake 'La hora de La 1' segment in which 'Botín' claimed a €250 stake could earn up to €15,000 in the first month and that the project was "backed by Banco Santander". Maldita cited a December 2023 CNMV alert on deepfake investment frauds. No Santander statement or victim losses were reported.
Record last reviewed Oct 21, 2026 · Markdown
Date
Jul 2025 · disclosed Jul 31, 2025
Institution
Country
Spain
AI system
AI-cloned voice and lip-synced video of Banco Santander's chair, spliced from real footage
AI?
Machine-learning system (inferred from the record)
The sources describe a machine-learning model; nobody on the record labelled it AI.
Status
Reported
Severity
1 of 5
Impact
No victims or losses tied to the Botín videos were reported · Misuse of the bank's chair and the Banco Santander name to lend credibility to an unauthorised investment platform.
What happened?
Maldita.es reported on 31 July 2025 that videos on YouTube and Facebook showed public figures, including Ana Botín, Yolanda Díaz, Florentino Pérez and Pedro Sánchez, promoting a supposed investment platform promising earnings of up to €20,000 or €30,000 a month for an initial €250. The videos were manipulated with artificial intelligence to clone voices and synchronise lip movement, and claimed the platform was endorsed by the Spanish government, the Bank of Spain and even the CNMV.[1]
According to Maldita, the Botín footage came from a video published by the Mexican newspaper La Jornada on 19 February 2025, during her visit to Mexico to present Openbank, and contained no mention of any investment platform. The YouTube account that posted the manipulated Botín video had been registered on 21 July, used the name of the Spanish newspaper ABC and carried other manipulated videos of Santander's chair.[1]
RTVE's fact-checking unit reported on 4 August 2025 a 2:39-minute YouTube video, sent in by readers, presenting TVE journalist Marc Sala of 'La hora de La 1' handing over to an "official statement" by Botín. In it, the cloned Botín said that investing just €250 could earn up to €15,000 in the first month and that the project "cuenta con el respaldo del Banco Santander". RTVE said the programme never aired the content, the audio had been replaced with AI-generated synthetic voices (an ElevenLabs detector gave a 98% probability), and the lip movements did not match the words.[2]
Spain's securities regulator, the CNMV, had warned investors on 12 December 2023 about social-media ads using famous people and public officials to promote fraudulent stock and crypto investments, noting "vídeos falsos en los que se simula la voz de un personaje o de un responsable público". Maldita cited this alert in its report; the CNMV warning does not name Botín or Santander.[1][3]
When did it happen?
- Dec 12, 2023
The CNMV warns investors about deepfake videos of famous people and public officials promoting fraudulent investments on social media.[3]
- Jul 31, 2025
Maldita.es reports AI-manipulated videos of Ana Botín and other public figures promoting a fake investment platform.[1]
- Aug 4, 2025
RTVE Verifica debunks a fake 'La hora de La 1' segment in which a cloned Botín says the platform is backed by Banco Santander.[2]
What was the impact?
- Customers: No victims or losses tied to the Botín videos were reported[1][2]
- Other: Misuse of the bank's chair and the Banco Santander name to lend credibility to an unauthorised investment platform.[1][2]
Severity 1 of 5: Contained as far as the record shows: an impersonation lure using the bank's chair and name, debunked by fact-checkers, with no victim losses, customer numbers or regulatory action tied to it reported.
How did Banco Santander respond?
No public statement found as of 2026-10-21 (searched Santander's press room and Spanish press coverage of the videos).
What was the outcome, and did regulators act?
The videos were debunked by Maldita.es and RTVE Verifica. No takedown figures, police action or regulator action specific to the Botín videos has been reported; the CNMV's standing warning advises investors to use only entities registered with it.[1][2][3]
Did Ana Botín promote an investment platform?
No. Maldita.es and RTVE Verifica found in July and August 2025 that the videos used real footage of Santander's chair with an AI-cloned voice and mismatched lip movements. The Botín clip came from a February 2025 video about Openbank that mentioned no investment platform.
Is the platform in the Botín videos backed by Banco Santander?
No evidence supports that. The claim that the project "cuenta con el respaldo del Banco Santander" was spoken by the cloned voice in a fake RTVE segment. The CNMV says only entities on its registers may legally raise investments in Spain and advises checking them first.
Did the CNMV warn about deepfake investment ads?
Yes. On 12 December 2023 the CNMV warned about social-media ads that use famous people and public officials, including fake videos simulating their voices, to promote fraudulent stock and crypto investments. The alert is general and does not name Botín or Santander.
Did Santander comment or report losses?
No Santander statement on these videos was found as of October 2026, and no victim numbers or losses tied to the Botín deepfakes were reported by the fact-checkers. Maldita said it had heard from dozens of people defrauded by this type of scam in general.
- "Con esta plataforma podrás ganar hasta 30.000 euros al mes": así intentan engañarte con vídeos manipulados con IA de políticos y famosos news
- Marc Sala y Ana Botín no promocionan una plataforma de inversión en RTVE, es un 'deepfake' news
- Alerta sobre un fraude financiero difundido en redes sociales utilizando la imagen de personas famosas y medios de comunicación official
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