A deepfake video featuring Elon Musk has been circulating on Twitter, in which the Tesla CEO promotes a cryptocurrency platform.
The video of Elon Musk promotes a cryptocurrency platform that promises 30% returns on crypto deposits, with footage taken from a TED Talk that featured Musk from April this year after he made a Twitter bid.
While the original video outlined Musk’s plans for humanoid robots, and provided his defence of free speech after his Twitter bid, the re-worked deepfake showed Musk claiming he owned the scam crypto company.
Twitter user DogeDesigner shared the video and tagged Elon Musk, who replied “Yikes. Def not me”.
Deepfake technology has been making headlines, as the frequency and convincing nature of these increase. Deepfakes have become increasingly prevalent in mainstream media, and while the technology offers many interesting possibilities for the creative sector, it is also being used for more nefarious activities.
Elon Musk’s image has been used in various crypto scams over the past few years, as he is known for being vocal when it comes to cryptocurrency. The SpaceX CEO has used Twitter to share his thoughts on various cryptocurrencies, and a Tweet from Musk is often enough to spike the market. Musk’s media appearances, including his stint on Saturday Night Live, have been used by scammers who use this type of material to create crypto scams.
The Tesla CEO’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter has involved a certain amount of drama, with Musk funding much of the take over himself, with the initial offer of $27.25 billion in equity going up to $33.5 billion.
Despite initially looking to make the purchase using Tesla shares, Musk has now confirmed that he will not be using Tesla shares to fund his Twitter bid, after the price of Tesla (TSLA) dipped following the original news.
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Source: https://cryptodaily.co.uk/2022/05/deep-fake-featuring-elon-musk-used-by-twitter-scammers