Taylor Swift Deepfake Scam: Fake Freebies Alert for Fans
In a digital world where reality is increasingly difficult to discern, a new scam leveraging the power of AI deepfake technology has emerged. This sophisticated scheme involves the creation of artificial videos and audio clips of celebrities like Taylor Swift, enticing fans with false promises.
Using AI voice cloning technology, scammers have concocted a synthetic version of Taylor Swift’s voice to promote fake giveaways. Fans, lured by the promise of free products like Le Creuset cookware, are unknowingly walking into a trap.
“With a script for the voice clone and real snippets of video of the star, the scammers (not Swift) encourage fans to jump on the free offer. All it takes is a $9.96 shipping fee. Paid for by credit or debit card. Once in the hands of the scammers, the cards get charged, and sometimes charged repeatedly. In all, it’s a classic case of identity fraud — this time with an AI voice clone twist,” the security researcher Jasdev Dhaliwal from McAfee explains.
The scam asks fans to pay a nominal shipping fee for the promised goods. Once credit or debit card details are shared, victims are subjected to identity fraud, with their cards being charged repeatedly.
This scam isn’t an isolated incident but part of a larger trend involving celebrity deepfakes and AI cloning. From bogus investment schemes to phony cryptocurrency deals, the use of AI to deceive has become a global concern.
In response, McAfee’s Project Mockingbird offers a beacon of hope. This technology, unveiled at a tech show, is capable of detecting AI-generated audio in deepfakes, acting like a digital lie detector.
