Taylor Swift and Rihanna TikTok scams are surging

The latest AI-powered scam alert: Online grifters are using AI deepfakes of Hollywood faves, including Taylor Swift and Rihanna, to bait TikTok users into signing up for fraudulent rewards programs.

According to a new report by Copyleaks, TikTok has seen a rise in fake red carpet videos of AI-generated celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, that appear to encourage users to sign up for "fraudulent or malicious services." Examples include late night clips of Swift advertising a mysterious "TikTok Pay" feature and press circuit clips of Rihanna schilling a views-for-rewards program.

The synthetic impersonations aren't entirely convincing, with typically unsettling facial movements and unsynchronized audio, but that's not stopping alleged scammers. Many of the clips use TikTok branding and add textured filters to seemingly bypass the platform's AI detection tools. When users click on the videos, they are redirected to third-party sites that then solicit personally identifiable information.

Copyleaks has reported a rise in AI-enabled deepfake scams across social media platforms, some of which include hyper-sexualized, nonconsensual deepfakes of celebrities. Meta was recently the target of a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the Consumer Federation of America, alleging the company profited from Facebook advertising scams.

Meanwhile, Hollywood still hasn't come up with a sweeping solution for nonconsensual celebrity deepfakes. Earlier this week, Swift reportedly filed to trademark her voice and likeness amid AI-generated deepfakes and growing public attention on posthumous legacy projects. Other celebrities have done the same.