MrBeast and BBC Stars Used in Deepfake Scam Videos
The world’s biggest YouTuber, MrBeast, and two BBC presenters have been used in deepfake videos to scam unsuspecting people online.
Deepfakes use artificial intelligence (AI) to make a video of someone by manipulating their face or body.
One such video appeared on TikTok this week, claiming to be Mr Beast offering people new iPhones for $2 (£1.65).
Meanwhile, likenesses of BBC stars Matthew Amroliwala and Sally Bundock were used to promote a known scam. The video on Facebook showed the journalists “introducing” Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter, purportedly promoting an investment opportunity.
Similar historical videos have claimed to show him giving away money and cryptocurrency.
The BBC approached Facebook-owner Meta from comment and the content has since been removed.
Previously, the videos were gated by an image warning viewers that they contained false information checked by independent fact-checkers Full Fact, which first reported the issue.
“We don’t allow this kind of content on our platforms and have removed it,” said a Meta spokesperson.
“We’re constantly working to improve our systems and encourage anyone who sees content they believe breaks our rules to report it using our in-app tools so we can investigate and take action.”
Meanwhile, a TikTok spokesperson said the company removed the Mr Beast ad within a few hours of it being uploaded, and the account which posted it has been removed for violating its policies.
TikTok specifically bars “synthetic media” which “contains the likeness (visual or audio) of a real person”.
In a post on X viewed more than 28 million times, the YouTuber shared the fake video and asked if social media platforms were ready to handle the rise of these deepfakes.
