In a recent incident, YouTube was inundated with livestreams featuring sophisticated deepfakes of Apple CEO Tim Cook. These fraudulent streams were part of a widespread crypto scam that coincided with Apple’s own livestream event unveiling its latest generation of iPhones.

On September 9th, several scam streams surfaced on social media platform X. In these streams, an artificial intelligence-generated version of Tim Cook encouraged viewers to send Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Tether (USDT), or Dogecoin (DOGE) to a specific “contribution address.” The AI-faked Cook promised that Apple would double the amount of cryptocurrency sent and return it to the sender.

“Upon completing your deposit, the system will automatically process it and return double the amount of cryptocurrency you deposited,” the AI-generated Cook asserted.

These videos perpetuated a classic “double-your-money” scam, which falsely promises to return double the amount of cryptocurrency sent. However, in reality, the scammers simply abscond with the funds.

One particularly convincing scam stream appeared on a YouTube channel designed to look like “Apple US,” complete with a legitimate-looking verification tick. Screenshots and videos shared on X revealed that some of these fraudulent streams amassed hundreds of thousands of views. However, it’s likely that many of these views were generated by bots to create a facade of legitimacy.

YouTube’s support team acknowledged the presence of the scam in a post on X dated September 9th. They urged users to report such videos using the platform’s official reporting tool. As of now, these sham videos have been removed, and the associated accounts have been closed.

Despite this swift action, YouTube did not immediately respond to requests for further comment on the incident involving the livestreams.

The brazenness of deepfake scammers is escalating. Increasingly, high-profile individuals and major events are becoming prime targets for these deceptive tactics. For instance, in June, Australia’s major broadcaster Seven had its YouTube news channel hijacked by crypto scammers who posted videos featuring a deepfake of Elon Musk discussing cryptocurrency.

Similarly, during the same month, YouTube was flooded with deepfake videos of Elon Musk around the time SpaceX’s Starship rocket was launched. These videos also promoted fraudulent double-your-money schemes, urging users to deposit cryptocurrency.

The rapid advancement and proliferation of AI-generated content have raised significant concerns in recent years. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 edition of the “Global Risks Report” highlighted numerous potential adverse outcomes associated with AI technologies, underscoring the urgent need for vigilance and regulatory measures.