This year, nearly 90% of Indians have come across fraudulent or AI-created celebrity endorsements, resulting in an average loss of Rs 34,000 due to scams. This information is derived from McAfee's annual report titled "Most Dangerous Celebrity: Deepfake Deception List", which underscores the tactics cybercriminals employ by using celebrity identities to mislead individuals and extort money.
Shah Rukh Khan is ranked as the most exploited celebrity in India, with Alia Bhatt, Elon Musk, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Cristiano Ronaldo following him. The global list includes MrBeast, Lionel Messi, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, and members of the Korean band BTS.
Using AI-generated deepfakes, scammers trick victims into transferring money by promoting fake endorsements, giveaways and directing them to scam websites, phishing links and malicious downloads.
According to the report, celebrities are increasingly being targeted, not responsible, for these scams. Nearly 60% of Indians have already encountered AI-generated or deepfake content featuring influencers and online creators, revealing just how fast deceptive media is spreading. The report also warns that fraudsters now need only three seconds of a person’s voice to produce highly convincing audio deepfakes without consent.
In August, McAfee carried out an online survey to assess how scams affect consumers in Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, involving 8,600 adult participants. McAfee also mentions that its Deepfake Detector tool assists users in evaluating questionable text, emails, and videos to identify possible fakes, such as deepfakes and phishing schemes.