Hackers hijack 7News YouTube to promote fake Elon Musk crypto scam

An Australian news broadcaster, the Seven Network, recently experienced a significant security breach on its YouTube channel. 

The channel was hijacked by crypto scammers, who livestreamed videos featuring a deep fake of Tesla CEO Elon Musk promoting a crypto scam.

The scammers rebranded the 7News YouTube channel to resemble Tesla’s official channel. They used an AI-generated deep fake of Elon Musk to tout a common “double-your-money” scam. The fake Musk assured viewers that sending crypto to a specified address would result in receiving double the amount back. This type of scam is frequently seen in crypto, preying on individuals eager to increase their digital assets quickly.

Source: YouTube

Viewership and Channel Disruption

During the hijack, approximately 150,000 viewers were reported to be watching three separate livestreams featuring the deep fake Musk. The actual number of legitimate viewers remains to be determined, as it is likely that bots were used to inflate the viewership count. Despite the channel’s hijacking, it continued to display 7News’ verification tick, adding a layer of credibility to the scam.

A spokesperson for Seven Network informed the Sydney Morning Herald, 

“Seven is investigating and working with YouTube to resolve the situation as soon as possible.” 

The scammers shared a website requesting cryptos, including Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, and Dogecoin. Analysis of the listed addresses revealed that they had accumulated over $11,000. Scammers often use well-known and easily recognizable public figures like Elon Musk to lend authenticity to their fraudulent schemes.

Broader Context of Similar Scams

Earlier in the month, over 35 YouTube channels were identified livestreaming similar scams during the SpaceX Starship rocket launch. These scams coincided with the event to attract space enthusiasts and investors. Cybersecurity firm Avast Threat Labs highlighted this issue in a June 6 post on X (formerly Twitter), noting the surge in such fraudulent activities.

Additionally, Hong Kong’s securities regulator recently shut down a firm using AI-generated videos of Musk. The firm falsely claimed that Musk had developed technology for an AI crypto trading service, further illustrating the widespread use of deep fake technology in scams.

The hijacking of 7News’ YouTube channel occurred in a challenging week for the network’s parent company, Seven West Media. The company announced plans to cut 150 jobs, affecting some marketing roles. This backdrop of internal restructuring may have contributed to the vulnerability exploited by the scammers.