Deepfake Video of Trump Promoting Bitcoin in YouTube Crypto Scam
Crypto scammers used deepfake video technology to create fake YouTube Live broadcasts impersonating U.S. President Donald Trump promoting a fraudulent Bitcoin doubling scheme. The videos circulated widely on YouTube before some were removed, potentially targeting cryptocurrency investors.
What happened
Crypto scammers posted deepfake videos on YouTube Live purporting to show U.S. President Donald Trump at a NATO press event promoting a Bitcoin giveaway scheme. The videos featured a QR code with instructions saying 'Scan QR or regist' and urged viewers to send Bitcoin to receive double the amount in return.
The videos' background matched the NATO summit in the Netherlands on June 25. Trump's voice and lip-sync appeared highly believable, and in some videos he incorrectly referred to himself as the 45th U.S. President. The provided links changed across different versions of the video.
Reported impact
While some YouTube Live videos were later suspended, many duplicate versions remained online with some recording thousands of viewers. The deepfake videos posed a risk to crypto investors who might fall for the impersonation and fraudulent scheme.
Index analysis
The videos were not reported by media outlets as legitimate news, were not shared by official White House channels, and did not correspond to any actual Trump statements or events at the NATO summit. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic noted that AI tools including deepfake software made it easier to launch crypto crimes and scams.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.