During Apple’s big “Glowtime” event on September 9, 2024, a group of scammers used a fake video of Apple CEO Tim Cook to trick people into a cryptocurrency scam. These fake videos, also known as deepfakes, were broadcast on YouTube and looked so real that many viewers believed they were watching an official Apple advertisement.
The scammers aired their fake videos at the same time Apple unveiled its new iPhone 16, hoping to catch people’s attention. In the video, the Tim Cook deepfake asked viewers to send cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Tether or Dogecoin to a specific wallet address, promising to return double the amount sent. To make the scam look convincing, one of the YouTube channels even copied the official “Apple US” account, with a blue check mark.
Some of these fake videos managed to gain large numbers of views, with reports suggesting that hundreds of thousands of people viewed them. Scammers likely used bots to increase viewership, making videos appear more popular and legitimate.
In the deepfake video, fake Tim Cook said: “Once you make a deposit, we will process it and refund you double the amount you sent.” This is a common trick used by scammers, often called a “double your money” scam, where they promise big profits but end up keeping all the money sent by unsuspecting people.
YouTube acted quickly after learning about these fake videos. On September 9, they posted on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to confirm that the fraudulent videos were being removed. They also asked viewers to report any suspicious content. Since then, the fraudulent videos have been removed and the fake accounts have been closed.
This type of scam is becoming more common as deepfake technology improves. Just a few months ago, in June 2024, scammers used a similar tactic by hijacking the YouTube channel of a major Australian news broadcaster to show a fake video of Elon Musk talking about cryptocurrencies.
As technology makes it easier to create realistic fake videos, online scams become more dangerous. Companies like YouTube must remain vigilant to detect and stop these tricks, helping to protect people from losing their money to scammers.
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