YouTube experienced a surge of fake livestreams featuring a deepfake of Apple CEO Tim Cook promoting cryptocurrency scams during Apple's latest iPhone announcement.
Fake Streams with Cook
In one of the scam streams posted on September 9, an AI-generated Cook urged viewers to send Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Tether (USDT), or Dogecoin (DOGE) to a 'contribution address', claiming Apple would send them double the amount.
YouTube's Reaction
YouTube's support team acknowledged the scam in a September 9 X post, urging users to report the videos using the official reporting tool. The sham videos are no longer available, and associated accounts are now closed.
Rise in Scams
A growing number of high-profile individuals and events are becoming targets of scammers using deepfake technology to dupe users. In June, major Australian broadcaster Seven had its YouTube news channel hijacked by crypto scammers who posted videos of a deepfake Elon Musk talking about crypto.
The rise in deepfake-related scams is alarming, and users should be vigilant to avoid falling victim to these schemes.
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