During the highly anticipated iPhone 16 launch, YouTube was overrun with fraudulent livestreams featuring a deepfake of Apple CEO Tim Cook promoting crypto scams. The scams coincided with Apple’s official event, exploiting the heightened attention on the tech giant.
On September 9, scammers used artificial intelligence to create a fake version of Cook urging viewers to send Bitcoin, Ether, Tether, or Dogecoin to a “contribution address,” promising to return double the amount. The scheme is a classic “double-your-money” tactic, where scammers keep the funds sent by unsuspecting victims.
One of these fraudulent streams was broadcasted on a YouTube channel that mimicked “Apple US,” complete with a verification badge, to appear legitimate. Some of these videos garnered hundreds of thousands of views, although many of these were likely bot-generated to make the stream seem credible.
YouTube’s support team acknowledged the scams on September 9, urging users to report the videos through its official reporting tool. The offending videos have since been removed, and the associated accounts have been shut down. However, YouTube has yet to provide an official comment on the incident.
This isn’t the first time deepfake scams have targeted high-profile figures and events. In June, scammers hijacked the YouTube news channel of Australian broadcaster Seven, posting deepfake videos of Elon Musk promoting similar crypto schemes. Scammers also used deepfake versions of Musk during the SpaceX Starship launch, asking for crypto deposits with false promises of doubling the amount.
Concerns over AI-generated content have been mounting. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 “Global Risks Report” highlighted the growing risks posed by such technologies, reflecting the increasing sophistication and frequency of these scams.