A series of YouTube Live videos have surfaced on the internet, showing the U.S President Donald Trump promoting a Bitcoin giveaway during a NATO Summit.
On the live stream, the President urged viewers to scan a QR code displayed on the screen and send Bitcoin to a specified wallet address, promising the participants that they will receive double the amount of the Bitcoin they send.
However, fans noticed something off about this Bitcoin promotion. Firstly, the background of these videos closely mimics the setting of the NATO summit in Netherlands on June 25.
Secondly, there were no records from credible media outlets or official White House channels of President Trump endorsing any Bitcoin giveaways at the event.
There were also major verbal flaws in the speech, one of which was when Trump referred to himself as the 45th president and how the QR codes and links for the digital wallets vary across the different videos.
It was later confirmed that this Bitcoin promotion was indeed just a ruse designed by scammers to get victims to donate to them.
It turns out that the video was created using deepfake software to create a highly realistic footage of Trump.
His voice and speaking style in the video were also made to look convincing, making it difficult for viewers to immediately recognize the manipulation.
Furthermore, the video included instructions like "Scan QR or regret", adding a sense of urgency that was deliberately used to trick viewers to act quickly without thinking it through.
While some of these YouTube Live videos have been suspended, many duplicates continue to circulate, attracting thousands of viewers.
Crypto security experts have repeatedly warned about the dangers of celebrity deepfakes being used in live video scams to deceive crypto investors.
Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic recently highlighted how AI-powered tools, including chatbots and deepfake technology, are making it easier for scammers to perpetrate crypto crimes and launch large-scale fraud campaigns.
Donald Trump’s image as a crypto-friendly president, especially during the 2024 election cycle, has made him a frequent target for such scams.
His connections to projects like World Liberty Financial and a Trump-themed meme coin have added to the confusion among followers, who may struggle to distinguish legitimate ventures from fraudulent schemes.
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