According to McAfee’s 2024 U.S. Celebrity Hacker Hotlist. The actors whose identities are most frequently used by cybercriminals in online scams are listed.
Johnny Depp, Taylor Swift and Scarlett Johansson are a few of the celebrities, whose names are most frequently used in online frauds.
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The annual list of the top 10 celebrity names with search results that are frequently compromised by hackers looking to defraud gullible fans was released by computer security company McAfee, and it is shown below.
The actors’ likenesses are being used without consent in deceptive schemes, that offer movie or song downloads, exclusive offers on celebrity-endorsed goods, cryptocurrency investments or concert tickets that are in high demand. In order to obtain a fan’s bank account information or infect their devices with malware that could lead to identity theft, scammers occasionally utilise convincing-looking deepfake videos of the actors.
“Celebrities are the ideal bait for curious customers and cybercriminals are using sophisticated AI tools to create more convincing scams, so the risks are growing” stated Abhishek Karnik head of threat research at McAfee, a company that offers protection software and a deepfake detector. “That’s why people need to stay vigilant and think twice before clicking. Even though content produced by AI isn’t always harmful, it’s getting more difficult to distinguish between fake and real content.
This is a list of the celebrities whose images and names were most often faked for online scams this year, all without their consent. The category of fraud for which the names were used is also given. Contrary to popular belief, celebrities are a more diverse group, including singers with a large following of teenage fans, younger female stars, and older male actors.
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1. Scarlett Johansson: The name and image of the Black Widow actress were used in endorsements and commercials. Johansson has also voiced her opposition to content created by AI without consent, threatening to sue, OpenAI for allegedly ripping off and mimicking her voice.
2. Kylie Jenner: The name and image of the social media influencer and reality star were used for phoney Kylie Cosmetics websites and products, as well as social media giveaway scams.
3. Taylor Swift: The name and image of the megastar singer were used for disinformation (Donald Trump shared an AI fake suggesting Swift had endorsed him) celebrity endorsements, ticket and product giveaway scams and more.
4. Anya Taylor-Joy: The Furiosa actress’s name and image have been used in a giveaway scam, and false information about a Queen’s Gambit sequel was circulated via a hacked Twitter/X account.
5. Tom Hanks: “Wonder drugs and miracle cures” have been advertised using the Oscar winner’s name and likeness.
6. Sabrina Carpenter: The name and image of the “Espresso” singer have been used in fraudulent ticket sales schemes and to promote an app, that generates graphically sexual images.
7. Sydney Sweeney: The name and image of the Anyone, but You star have been utilised in cryptocurrency frauds.
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8. Blake Lively: A weight loss gummy scam featured the name of the It Ends With Us actress.
9. Addison Rae: The singer of “Diet Pepsi” has had her likeness used without consent in giveaways, cryptocurrency scams and phoney endorsements.
10. Johnny Depp: Without permission, the Pirates of the Caribbean actress’s likeness has been used in giveaways, cryptocurrency and fundraising schemes.
