Revealed: the scammers who conned savers out of $35m using fake celebrity ads

In the digital age, scammers have found a new way to exploit unsuspecting victims: fake celebrity ads. These deceptive promotions, often featuring deepfakes or stolen images, have conned savers out of millions of dollars. In this article, we delve into the world of celebrity scams, revealing the tactics used by scammers and the staggering sums lost by victims.

The Rise of Celebrity Scams

Celebrity scams have been on the rise, with an estimated $35 million lost to these schemes in recent years. Scammers exploit the trust and admiration fans have for their favorite celebrities, using their names, likenesses, and social media accounts to deceive people into giving away money, personal information, or other valuable assets.

How Celebrity Scams Work

Scammers employ various tactics to create convincing fake celebrity ads and exploit the trust and admiration of the celebrities' fans:

1. Stolen photos and fabricated posts: Scammers create convincing ads and fake news articles using stolen photos and fabricated posts of celebrities to make their schemes appear legitimate. They use these images to create fake social media profiles or ads, mimicking the celebrities' online presence.
2. Deepfakes: Scammers leverage AI technology to create deepfakes—lifelike impersonations of real people—of celebrities. These deepfakes are used to create videos or images of celebrities endorsing products or causes they had no affiliation with, making it difficult for even tech-savvy individuals to distinguish between genuine and fake content.
3. Sophisticated bots: Scammers use bots to automate interactions and spread fraudulent posts, amplifying fake endorsements and reaching a larger audience more quickly. This helps to create a false sense of credibility and popularity for the fake ads.
4. Exploiting trust and admiration: Scammers capitalize on the trust and admiration fans have for their favorite celebrities by using their names, likenesses, and social media accounts to deceive people into giving away money, personal information, or other valuable assets. They know that fans will be more likely to engage with content from their favorite celebrities, making it easier to trick them into falling for the scams.

Targeting Victims and Persuasion Tactics

Scammers target their victims primarily through social media platforms, using fake ads and deepfake videos of celebrities to promote online investment platforms. They create convincing ads and fake news articles to make it seem like the celebrities actually used these scam investment platforms. The platforms claim to use AI and other technologies like quantum computing to create high profits for investors. Scammers use social media ads, 'deepfake' videos, and fake news articles ('clickbait') about celebrities and public figures claiming to make big profits from online trading platforms. Links to these scam platforms take victims to a website where they are asked to sign up to the platform. After submitting the form, the scammer (pretending to be an account manager) calls the victim, telling them to pay around $250 to access the platform. They then persuade the victim to download a cryptocurrency app so they can 'invest' more. Using an online dashboard that appears to show small profits, scammers persuade the victim to invest more. They may let the victim take out a small amount of money to gain their trust. When the victim tries to withdraw their funds, they demand withdrawal fees or mention tax issues to access their money. The victim may be locked out of their account and not get their money back.

AI and Deepfake Technology in Celebrity Scams

AI and deepfake technology play a significant role in the creation and distribution of fake celebrity ads, enabling scammers to create highly convincing content that is difficult to distinguish from genuine content. Scammers use AI to create fake celebrity endorsements, such as videos or images, that appear authentic. They also leverage deepfake technology to manipulate genuine videos of celebrities, making them say and do things they never did. Scammers employ sophisticated bots to automate interactions and spread fraudulent posts across various social media platforms, amplifying fake endorsements and reaching a larger audience more quickly. This increased the likelihood of unsuspecting users falling for the scams and reduced the chances of detection by legitimate users or platforms.

Conclusion

Celebrity scams have cost unsuspecting victims millions of dollars, with an estimated $35 million lost to these schemes in recent years. Scammers exploit the trust and admiration fans have for their favorite celebrities, using their names, likenesses, and social media accounts to deceive people into giving away money, personal information, or other valuable assets. By understanding the tactics employed by scammers and the role of AI and deepfake technology in these schemes, we can better protect ourselves and our loved ones from falling victim to celebrity scams.