Earlier this week, a deceptive livestream surfaced on YouTube, cunningly designed to promote a fraudulent Dogecoin giveaway just before the highly anticipated unveiling of the iPhone 16. The stream featured an AI-generated voice mimicking Apple CEO Tim Cook, making it appear incredibly convincing.

The fake broadcast, which emerged on Monday, managed to attract over a million viewers within minutes. This significant attention was drawn primarily because of the timing – right before Apple’s major event where the iPhone 16 was expected to be introduced.

The fabricated livestream claimed that cryptocurrency, particularly Dogecoin, was poised to create a fairer world. It deceitfully suggested that the giveaway was an effort to accelerate this transformation. Viewers were urged to send any amount of Dogecoin to a specified “contribution address” by scanning a QR code, with the false promise that their contributions would be doubled.

Scammers did not stop at targeting Dogecoin enthusiasts; they also aimed to deceive holders of other prominent cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Tether (USDT). This broad targeting increased the potential victim pool significantly.

The fraudulent stream cleverly used SEO tactics to climb to the top of search results. By embedding keywords related to Apple, the iPhone 16 event, and even incorporating trending terms like “Apple” and “Charli XCX,” a popular British pop singer, the scam gained maximum visibility and reach.

This incident highlights the increasing sophistication of online scams and underscores the need for heightened vigilance among internet users, especially as they seek information about high-profile events and products.