Hi there — Hackers have been sending fake emails that include deepfake videos of YouTube’s CEO to announce fake changes to YouTube’s monetization – only to hack into creators’ accounts.
YouTube and its employees will never attempt to contact you or share information through a private video. If a video is shared privately with you claiming to be from YouTube, the video is a phishing scam. Do not click these links as the videos will likely lead to phishing sites that can install malware or steal your credentials. Never click on links in these videos and you can report the video by following these steps.
Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4, commented:
“This latest phishing scam targeting YouTube creators is a reminder that social engineering tactics don’t need to be new—just more convincing. The use of deepfake videos of YouTube’s CEO isn’t groundbreaking; scammers have long exploited our trust in authority figures to manipulate emotions like curiosity or greed. What has changed is the ease and accessibility of AI, which makes these scams appear more polished and credible.”
“According to Egress (2024), 82% of phishing kits now include deepfake capabilities, democratizing this technology for any cybercriminal with the right motivation. This means low-effort scams can now look far more legitimate, making vigilance more important than ever.”
“The key defense remains the same: digital mindfulness and a zero-trust mindset. Pause before reacting impulsively, particularly if it triggers an emotion or existing bias, verify independently, and never assume legitimacy just because something looks real. AI may enhance deception, but our best defense is still critical thinking and security vigilance.”
This is an example of how threat actors are evolving their schemes using techniques like deepfake videos to lure the unsuspecting into falling for a scam. Which means that the best defense is to ensure that people are trained to spot these schemes so that they aren’t effective.
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This entry was posted on March 5, 2025 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Scam, YouTube. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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YouTube phishing scheme targets creators with CEO deepfake videos
Hi there — Hackers have been sending fake emails that include deepfake videos of YouTube’s CEO to announce fake changes to YouTube’s monetization – only to hack into creators’ accounts.
YouTube and its employees will never attempt to contact you or share information through a private video. If a video is shared privately with you claiming to be from YouTube, the video is a phishing scam. Do not click these links as the videos will likely lead to phishing sites that can install malware or steal your credentials. Never click on links in these videos and you can report the video by following these steps.
Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4, commented:
“This latest phishing scam targeting YouTube creators is a reminder that social engineering tactics don’t need to be new—just more convincing. The use of deepfake videos of YouTube’s CEO isn’t groundbreaking; scammers have long exploited our trust in authority figures to manipulate emotions like curiosity or greed. What has changed is the ease and accessibility of AI, which makes these scams appear more polished and credible.”
“According to Egress (2024), 82% of phishing kits now include deepfake capabilities, democratizing this technology for any cybercriminal with the right motivation. This means low-effort scams can now look far more legitimate, making vigilance more important than ever.”
“The key defense remains the same: digital mindfulness and a zero-trust mindset. Pause before reacting impulsively, particularly if it triggers an emotion or existing bias, verify independently, and never assume legitimacy just because something looks real. AI may enhance deception, but our best defense is still critical thinking and security vigilance.”
This is an example of how threat actors are evolving their schemes using techniques like deepfake videos to lure the unsuspecting into falling for a scam. Which means that the best defense is to ensure that people are trained to spot these schemes so that they aren’t effective.
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This entry was posted on March 5, 2025 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Scam, YouTube. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.