Deepfake videos of celebrities used in phishing scam for fraudulent gaming app
Researchers at CloudSEK discovered an organized global phishing scam using AI-generated deepfake videos of celebrities and public figures to trick users into downloading a fraudulent mobile gaming app called Aviator across multiple countries. Scammers created fake Google Play stores and registered thousands of phishing domains daily, with the rigged gambling app designed to make users lose money.
What happened
Cybersecurity researchers at CloudSEK discovered a global phishing scam using AI-generated deepfake videos of celebrities and public figures to promote a fraudulent mobile gaming app called Aviator.
Scammers created deepfake videos featuring Virat Kohli, Anant Ambani, Neeraj Chopra, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Reynolds, James Donaldson (MrBeast), Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir endorsing the app. The scammers also manipulated news footage of Indian news anchors Sudhir Chaudhary and Arnab Goswami to falsely appear to endorse the deceptive apps.
Deepfake videos were distributed through Facebook ads and linked to a fake Google Play Store, enabling victims to download the malicious Aviator app. The fraudulent app operates on a rigged betting game where users lose more than they win.
Reported impact
The scam targeted users across multiple countries including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia. Scammers registered over 1,000 phishing domains daily to carry out the campaign.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.