Elon Musk Deepfake used in YouTube cryptocurrency scam

WEB DESK: Tesla CEO Elon Musk was targeted in another social media scam, this time using a deepfake video on YouTube Live to deceive viewers, according to Engadget.

The fraudulent broadcast, which lasted for five hours, featured an AI-generated voice impersonating Musk. The scammer promised viewers a giveaway if they deposited their Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Dogecoin on a specific website. The scheme falsely claimed it would “automatically send back double the amount of the cryptocurrency you deposited.”

The deceptive broadcast attracted over 30,000 viewers, reaching the top of YouTube’s Live Now recommendations. However, there are suspicions that the viewership might have been inflated by bots.

The account behind the scam, @elon.teslastream, even had an Official Artist Channel verification badge, raising concerns about a potential account hack, reported NewsBytes.

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Both the video and the channel were removed by YouTube after Engadget alerted Google of the fraudulent activity.

Deepfake scams 

Elon Musk deepfake incident is part of a growing trend of deepfake scams using Elon Musk’s image. This latest scam involved an account posing as one of Musk’s companies. It follows a similar scam titled “Tesla unveils a masterpiece: The Tesla that will change the car industry forever.”

Earlier this month, Cointelegraph reported on similar scams involving 35 fake SpaceX accounts targeting viewers during the Starship launch. Scammers have also used the same tactic with fake Musk livestreams on Reddit and capitalized on the Total Solar Eclipse hype in April.

Cryptocurrency scams have consistently targeted Musk’s followers, and other celebrities have also been used in similar schemes.