The official YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India was hacked and used to push a fake XRP crypto scheme.
On September 20, the hackers wiped all existing videos, renamed the channel to Ripple, and altered its URL to make it appear authentic to viewers.
They then broadcasted videos featuring deepfakes of Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse, promising large returns of investments to lure in potential victims.
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YouTube quickly shut down the channel due to "violations of Community Guidelines."
These types of scams usually include phishing links embedded in the livestream, encouraging viewers to link their crypto wallets. Once victims authorize the connection, the scammers gain full access to their wallets, enabling them to steal funds instantly and without any additional authorization.
Scammers using these schemes often capitalize on big events, like the recent launch of Apple's iPhone 16. YouTube was flooded with live streams featuring AI-generated versions of Apple CEO Tim Cook, encouraging viewers to send crypto to a "contribution address" to double their deposits. Some of these scam channels were even verified.
Similarly, in June, cybercriminals targeted the SpaceX launch event to broadcast deepfake versions of Elon Musk promoting the same double-your-money scheme.
With scammers increasingly targeting high-profile platforms to deceive unsuspecting users, it becomes increasingly important to remain cautious.
