James Hibberd
Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift and Johnny Depp are among the celebrities whose identities are most often exploited for online scams.
Computer security company McAfee released its annual list (below) of the top 10 celebrity names with search results that tend to get compromised by hackers trying to rip off unsuspecting fans.
The actors’ likenesses are being used without permission on fraudulent schemes that peddle movie or song downloads, deals on celebrity-backed products, cryptocurrency investments or tickets to high-demand concerts. The scammers also sometimes use convincing-looking deepfake videos of the actors to get a fan’s bank account information or to install malware on their devices that could result in identity theft.
“With cybercriminals using advanced AI tools to create more convincing scams, the risks are growing, and celebrity names are the perfect bait for curious consumers,” said Abhishek Karnik, McAfee’s head of threat research, whose company sells protection software and a deepfake detector. “That’s why people need to stay vigilant and think twice before clicking. While AI-generated content isn’t always harmful, it’s becoming harder to tell what’s real and what’s fake.”
Here is the list of the celebrities whose names and likenesses were most frequently fabricated this year for online scams — all without their permission. Also included is the type of fraud the names were used for. The celebrities are more diverse than one might expect, ranging from older male actors to younger female stars to singers with plenty of teenage fans.
1. Scarlett Johansson: The Black Widow star’s name and likeness were used for advertisements and endorsements. Johansson has also spoken out against non-consensual AI-generated content, having threatened legal action against OpenAI for allegedly copying and imitating her voice.
2. Kylie Jenner: The reality star and influencer’s name and likeness were used for social media giveaway scams and fake Kylie Cosmetics products and websites.
3. Taylor Swift: The mega-star singer’s name and likeness were used for celebrity endorsements, ticket scams and product giveaway scams, as well as for disinformation (Donald Trump sharing an AI fake suggesting Swift had endorsed him).
4. Anya Taylor-Joy: The Furiosa star’s name and likeness have been used for a giveaway scam, and her Twitter/X account was hacked to spread fake Queen’s Gambit sequel news.
5. Tom Hanks: The Oscar winner’s name and likeness have been used to promote “miracle cures and wonder drugs.”
6. Sabrina Carpenter: The “Espresso” singer’s name and likeness have been used in fake ticketing scams and to advertise an app for creating sexually explicit images.
7. Sydney Sweeney: The Anyone But You star’s name and likeness have been used for crypto scams.
8. Blake Lively: The It Ends With Us actress’ name was used in a weight loss gummy scam.
9. Johnny Depp: The Pirates of the Caribbean star’s likeness has been used without permission in giveaway, crypto and fundraising scams
10. Addison Rae: The “Diet Pepsi” singer’s likeness has been used without permission for fake endorsements, giveaways and crypto scams.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings