Elon Musk

On April 8, YouTube saw a flood of fake Space X giveaway scams executed under the guise of live streams dedicated toward the April 8 solar eclipse. 
The scams were first spotted by the research group Mysk, which <a href="https://x.com/mysk_co/status/1777392160951750788" target="_blank" rel="">pointed out</a> that a verified YouTube account was live-streaming a solar eclipse. The stream, titled “Live: Solar Eclipse Spectacular 2024 of SpaceX,” reportedly showed a deepfake video of SpaceX founder Elon Musk. 
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img decoding="async" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/jy9nVxlX98G92I07vY1Lkrbjuf2MBuXoqAm-F_hmxMczanar1ea18HuyT7Zh2naWxFJix5sxEs-H7UxDzRXWqS0rnkvgUKX8U5fjiRlT8XITc9oQsrK-6PMmcJ5HV8d9f5liuzYVtk_zngFK9XEx9P0" alt="SpaceX giveaway scam floods YouTube with deep fake Elon Musk - 13">
 <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">
 Source: Mysk on X
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</figure> 
In the video, the fake Musk was seen urging users to scan a QR code on the screen and deposit cryptocurrencies to have them doubled. Scanning the QR code directed users toward a website displaying the scammer’s wallet addresses, accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many popular cryptocurrencies. 
According to the research group, the live stream was the first search result when looking for “solar eclipse livestream.”&nbsp; 
At its peak, the livestream had over 95,000 viewers. 
Another live stream, <a href="https://x.com/jason_paladino/status/1777395236337058058" target="_blank" rel="">spotted</a> by X user Jason Paladino, titled “2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyers of SpaceX,” garnered over 164,000 live viewers. In the live stream chat, the scammers used a fake Elon Musk YouTube account to promote the same crypto doubling scam. 
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img decoding="async" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/TrGQGR_MqH-PdjYC4QkquHLKFyLSZSUdSckTKhsu5ULIsEhZ50wQA4ASP6SETXwEfr-JXrvcVNivRApBHdUau4l2odOlJu_3Ou07Ths2ILV4N9IiVn-tcAGklOsdoQfh0JvGCE_B8W2dOivMsuODsi8" alt="SpaceX giveaway scam floods YouTube with deep fake Elon Musk - 14">
 <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">
 Source: Jason Paladino on X&nbsp;
 </figcaption>
</figure> 
The scammers promoted a Russian website that was registered on the same day to receive cryptocurrencies from victims. 
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img decoding="async" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ru-3Jhk95Jpc47eXLi87qfeZ85DwZ6rBEspnFMq1L1oMT6g2qBt-YeFJkvn42OakZS4RaVITLccDssucqKiKpCvxC--Ss_ggKnwIKaFbS7bR2Sk1mdWSDnMZa3-Zo_Nq2p_nVde8wf7NlIMZtrkIIls" alt="SpaceX giveaway scam floods YouTube with deep fake Elon Musk - 15">
 <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">
 Source: Jason Paladino on X
 </figcaption>
</figure> 
These giveaway scams have been a major talking point in the cryptocurrency sector for years. Last year, a similar scheme saw scammers getting away with <a href="https://crypto.news/fake-elon-musk-youtube-streams-lead-to-165k-crypto-scam/" rel="">$165,000</a> in crypto from unsuspecting users. The scammers were once again utilizing live streams on YouTube and redirecting users to their fraudulent websites via a QR code scan. 
 You might also like: <a href="https://crypto.news/new-job-recruitment-crypto-scam-surfaces-in-india/" rel=""> New job recruitment crypto scam surfaces in India </a> 
The scams aren’t limited to impersonating Elon Musk or SpaceX. Several <a href="https://crypto.news/dprk-hackers-impersonate-south-korean-officials-to-steal-crypto/" rel="">personalities</a> from and beyond the cryptocurrency industry have seen their <a href="https://crypto.news/scammers-attack-matthew-perrys-x-account-promote-crypto/" rel="">reputations tarnished</a> by these bad actors. 
Back in 2020, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, along with 17 other victims, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-23/steve-wozniak-sues-youtube-over-twitter-like-bitcoin-scam?srnd=technology-vp" target="_blank" rel="">sued</a> YouTube to take down similar scams impersonating them to promote fake Bitcoin giveaways. 
Unfortunately, such scams are not isolated to YouTube. In February 2024, analysts at security firm CertiK <a href="https://crypto.news/analysts-discover-deepfakes-of-vitalik-buterin-promoting-scam-crypto-wallet/" rel="">discovered</a> scammers impersonating Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, using a deepfake video to promote a wallet drainer phishing site. 
Meanwhile, the social media platform TikTok has also become a playground for such scams, as was highlighted in a 2023 <a href="https://crypto.news/fake-elon-musk-crypto-giveaway-scams-flood-tiktok/" rel="">report</a>. Scammers followed a similar pattern and were seen promoting cryptocurrency scams under the guise of reputed firms, most commonly Elon Musk and SpaceX, due to <a href="https://crypto.news/dogecoin-surges-11-after-elon-musk-announces-future-tesla-payment-option/" rel="">close ties</a> with the crypto realm. 
 Read more: <a href="https://crypto.news/over-46m-lost-to-crypto-phishing-in-february-social-media-impersonations-at-fault/" rel=""> Over $46m lost to crypto phishing in February, social media impersonations at fault </a>

SpaceX giveaway scam floods YouTube with deep fake Elon Musk

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