Elon Musk Deepfake Live Scam Promoting Crypto Giveaway
A livestream that has since been deleted directed viewers to deposit Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin at a fictitious website. The stream, which attracted over 30,000 viewers at one point, lasted for five hours over the weekend. It featured semi-pixelated videos of Elon Musk, with a segment showing Musk supposedly hosting a live stream during a Tesla event.
The video showcased an AI-generated version of Elon Musk's voice, urging viewers to visit a website and deposit their cryptocurrency for a supposed giveaway. The stream advocated for donations in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Dogecoin (DOGE), promising to 'automatically return double the amount of the cryptocurrency deposited.'
The livestream was marred by a deepfake incident, where Elon Musk's likeness was used to deceive viewers into parting with their crypto assets under the false promise of receiving double the amount. The fraudulent scheme exploited the popularity and trust associated with Elon Musk, a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency space.
The incident involving the deepfake promotion of a crypto scam by Elon Musk's counterfeit persona adds to a series of similar incidents. Previously, fraudulent schemes featuring deep fakes of Elon Musk were observed, including the surge of fake Space X giveaway scams on YouTube during the April 8 solar eclipse and the warning issued by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (HKSFC) about a fake crypto exchange platform leveraging AI-generated videos of Elon Musk for promoting crypto trading services.
The proliferation of AI-generated videos has become a favored tool for crypto scammers, as highlighted in a recent report by Elliptic. This trend poses a significant threat not only to the credibility of AI technology but also to the integrity of the cryptocurrency industry as a whole. News of this live scam was initially reported by Engadget.
