A YouTube live broadcast marketed a cryptocurrency giveaway using a deepfake of Elon Musk, scamming watchers to visit a Bitcoin website.
The livestream lasted for five hours which imitated a Tesla event featuring Musk and an AI-generated voice of him.
(Photo : Kirsty Wigglesworth/WPA Pool via Getty Images)
Read Also: xAI Partners With Dell, Super Micro for Server Racks Amid Supercomputer Ambitions
YouTube Livestream Uses Elon Musk Deepfake for Crypto Scam
During the livestream, the deepfake version of Musk instructed the audience to click the link and deposit their Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Dogecoin. The scammers aimed to collect cryptocurrency by requiring participants to deposit first before entering the giveaway.
A looped message was presented throughout the stream. It promised an automatic send back which will be in double the amount of the deposited cryptocurrency. The livestream was pushed to YouTube's Live Now recommendation after peaking at over 30,000 viewers.
According to the report, the YouTube account used for the stream displayed an Official Artist Channel verification badge, hinting at a possible hacking incident. The video and the channel were removed after a report was made.
Internet Faces Increasing Elon Musk Deepfake Scams
Over the past months, several Musk deepfake scams have been spotted. Most of the YouTube bogus stream features the Tesla CEO either announcing or inviting people to join an event.
Earlier this month, a similar scam was reported as 35 accounts were seen pretending to be SpaceX during the Starship launch. During the eclipse, several scammers also used the opportunity to lure people using the same tactic.
Several Reddit users have also spotted incidents of live streams that used Musk's deepfake face and AI-generated voice. Some users also noted that scammers often employ bots to increase the reach of the stream and boost its presence until it becomes visible to organic viewers.
Other celebrities and public figures are often used for deepfake scams, alarming fans over the increasing incidents. YouTube now allows users to report harmful AI-generated content such as deepfakes but only of themselves.
Related Article: Elon Musk Wants X Advertisers to Come Back
