Michael Saylor Warns of Deepfake Scams Featuring Himself

The MicroStrategy team has removed approximately 80 deepfake videos featuring the company’s founder, Michael Saylor, from YouTube, most of which promoted crypto scams.

⚠️ Warning ⚠️ There is no risk-free way to double your #bitcoin, and @MicroStrategy doesn’t give away $BTC to those who scan a barcode. My team takes down about 80 fake AI-generated @YouTube videos every day, but the scammers keep launching more. Don’t trust, verify. pic.twitter.com/gqZkQW02Ji

— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) January 13, 2024

“There is no risk-free way to double your bitcoins. MicroStrategy does not give away coins to those who scan a QR code,” Saylor warned on X.

Despite efforts to remove fraudulent AI videos, scammers continue to create new ones, noted the company’s co-founder.

Earlier, several X users reported videos generated by artificial intelligence in which Saylor allegedly promised to double assets for anyone interested.

Here is the Michael Saylor deep fake scam. Just popped up on YouTube (again) pic.twitter.com/9t4PDCJcU6

— ⪛⦿⫺Beyondthehorizon2620 (@BTH2620) January 8, 2024

Scammers employ a classic scheme, offering to scan a QR code to transfer funds, which the victim will not receive back.

The internet was flooded with similar videos back in 2022. At that time, billionaire Elon Musk was the main face, and the videos were of lower quality.

Following the collapse of FTX, a deepfake of the exchange’s founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, spread on social media, offering participation in a cryptocurrency giveaway as compensation.

Despite YouTube’s updated policy regarding AI videos, such content continues to appear on the platform.

In July 2023, the UN stated that AI-generated deepfakes threaten the integrity of information and lead to the incitement of hatred in society.

Back in October, investor and billionaire Tim Draper issued a warning about cryptocurrency scammers using AI to mimic his voice.