On June 6, cybercriminals targeted space enthusiasts by creating multiple live streams featuring deepfakes of Elon Musk during SpaceX’s fourth test launch of its Starship rocket, as reported by Avast Threat Labs.
Coinciding with the actual SpaceX live stream showing the rocket’s re-entry and splashdown in the Indian Ocean, over 35 YouTube channels broadcasted fake Elon Musk.
Using AI-generated voices that mimicked Musk’s speech patterns, the scammers promised to double viewers’ Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), or Tether (USDT) investments, enticing them to scan a QR code and deposit their crypto.
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The streams featured footage of Musk at a SpaceX event, with some blurring the face to obscure the deepfake. The AI-generated voices continuously assured viewers the giveaway was genuine.
The number of victims remains uncertain, and the streams have since been removed.
This isn’t the first time such scams have surfaced. In April, Mysk researchers uncovered similar fake SpaceX YouTube accounts using AI-generated Musks to promote the same double-your-money scheme during a solar eclipse.
As AI-generated content becomes more advanced, viewers must remain cautious and verify the authenticity of online streams and promotional offers, especially when they involve financial transactions.
Warren Buffet, a shareholder at Berkshire Hathaway, has likened AI’s disruptive potential to that of nuclear weapons after seeing a deepfake mimicking him.
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