Tech
Elon Musk DeepFakes peddles crypto scams on YouTube
Five hours Youtube Live broadcast with a deepfake of Elon Musk promoted a cryptocurrency scam today, continuing a recent trend of similar fraudulent flows.
According to a Engadget report dated June 23, the now-removed video purported to show a live Tesla event, using an AI-generated version of Musk’s voice to lure viewers to a website. The fake Musk urged viewers to deposit Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) OR Dogecoin (DOGE) for a supposed freebie, promising to “automatically send back double the amount.”
The stream attracted over 30,000 viewers at its peak, although bot inflation cannot be ruled out. It outperformed YouTube’s Live Now recommendations. The channel, @elon.teslastream, bore the artist’s official channel verification badge, suggesting a possible compromise of the account.
YouTube removed both the video and the channel after Engadget’s request to Google. This incident is part of a recent wave of Elon Musk deepfake scams, typically impersonating his companies.
The video was titled “Tesla’s [sic] unveils a masterpiece: the Tesla that will change the automotive industry forever.” At the beginning of June, Cointelegraph reported 35 accounts posing as SpaceX running similar scams during the Starship launch.
A continuing trend
In April, scammers attempted to capitalize on the eclipse excitement using the same tactic, as reported by Mashable. Cryptocurrency scams targeting Musk’s social media followers are an ongoing problem, as are those involving celebrities in general.
Recently, 50 Cent’s social media accounts have been hacked to promote a pump and dump system. The Tesla CEO is particularly popular as a target for celebrity promotion of fake scams, given his prominence in the cryptocurrency industry.
Musk’s prominence in cryptocurrencies primarily stems from his influential social media presence and his companies’ involvement with digital currencies. As CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk’s public statements about cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin and Dogecoin, have often caused significant market movements.