Swifties at boiling point after deepfake scam using Le Creuset pans
TAYLOR SWIFT’S image has been used in an Ai-generated deepfake scam video endorsing a non-existent Le Creuset cookware “giveaway”.
A video being shared across various social media platforms purports to show the singer urging her fans to hand over their bank details for a chance to win one of 3,000 cookware sets.
In the deepfake clip using Swift’s likeness, the Ai-generated voice says: “Hey y’all, it’s Taylor Swift here. Due to a packaging error, we can’t sell 3,000 Le Creuset cookware sets. So I’m giving them away to my loyal fans for free.
“If you’re seeing this ad, you can get a free cookware set today – but just a heads-up, there are a few rules.”
The voice says fans should submit details in a form below the video.
They are then directed to a website where they are asked to provide a “small shipping fee of $9.96 [£7.82]". However, The New York Times reported that those who submitted their card details were then hit with recurring charges.
“These will only be given out until the end of the day today so don’t hesitate,” the Ai-generated Swift adds.
Several clips of the singer taken from a 2016 video interview with Vogue play throughout the bogus advert, alongside various images of Le Creuset products.
Fans are urged to act quickly as “supplies are limited”. The video then adds: “Thank you, guys, for all your support.”
Swift, 34, is a known fan of the cookware brand, which appears in documentary scenes filmed at her home. In 2014, the popstar surprised a fan, Gena Gabrielle, by attending her bridal shower – bringing two Le Creuset items as gifts.
A spokesman for Le Creuset confirmed there was no giveaway promotion with Swift. They added: “All approved Le Creuset giveaways or promotions come from the official Le Creuset social accounts.”
It is unknown who is behind the scam, which was posted across several Facebook groups before being rapidly deleted.
Text-to-speech platforms can allow criminal gangs to create deepfake videos quickly and cheaply. These services can translate a script into an Ai-generated voice, and then pair the vocals with a video using lip-syncing software.
In Britain, one in 12 people have been targeted by cybercriminals impersonating their loved ones in this way, according to a study by Mcafee, the software company, with 77 per cent of all victims losing money as a result.
A survey by the company found 95 per cent of people were unable to tell a fake Ai-generated voice from a real one.
Last year, fraudsters used an Ai-generated deepfake video of the trusted consumer champion Martin Lewis to convince victims to part with their money.