A new wave of ads utilizing video of well-known celebrities seemingly promoting video games, fake giveaways, and more are starting to popup, and fans are falling for this trap.
McAfee posted a tweet on X earlier this month about how their latest technology exposes deepfake audio and video scams for their true nature. They offer a copy of the video that shows what looks like Taylor Swift talking about giving away Le Creuset cookware sets.
What makes the scam so convincing to the untrained and unprepared eye is that it starts with Taylor talking (although the video doesn’t match with the words she’s “saying”) and quickly shifts to video of a surplus of cookware.
The use of deepfake audio is the key here. The combination of a convincing audio track and mixing in some video of “Taylor” speaking is apparently all that’s needed to trick would-be victims.
The crux of a good scam is the “illusion of credibility” – often attained through person, domain, or brand impersonation. In the Taylor Swift scam, it’s the deepfake voice and a bit of video.
Regardless of the techniques or technologies used, individuals seeing such content from any celebrity or well-known figure should quickly realize that Taylor Swift doesn’t want to give everyone a dutch oven.
The old adage “if it looks too good to be true, it usually isn’t” stands true here.
Scammers are going to continue to hone and improve their craft using deepfaked audio and really good video to trick their victims. We're already starting to see this trend this year. So, organizations looking to protect themselves from cyber attacks or scams aimed at businesses need to ensure their employees are fully prepared by enrolling them in new-school security awareness training.
We have a phishing test template ready for you in the console ready to send to your users. Search for: "Taylor Swift Partners With Le Creuset For Cookware Giveaway! (Link)"
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New-school Security Awareness Training is critical to enabling you and your IT staff to connect with users and help them make the right security decisions all of the time. This isn't a one and done deal, continuous training and simulated phishing are both needed to mobilize users as your last line of defense. Request your one-on-one demo of KnowBe4's security awareness training and simulated phishing platform and see how easy it can be!
