Which Celebrities Are Used Most In Social Media And Ad Scams? Here's Where Musk And Bezos Rank

Scams using cryptocurrency are nothing new over the last few years. Some scams involve users on social media appearing as famous people, seeking to get users to click on malicious links or send money to wallets. Other scams use the images and likenesses of celebrities in advertisements.

Here’s a look at some of the celebrities used the most in crypto-related scams.

What Happened: One of the many issues Elon Musk has criticized social media platform Twitter for over the years was its number of crypto spam accounts. Musk ultimately bought the company for $44 billion in 2022 with the goal of helping monetize the platform and cut down on spam and bot accounts.

Some reports say crypto scams are down on Twitter since the acquisition. While scams on Twitter may have declined, cryptocurrency scams still continue to appear elsewhere. Non-crypto scams are also among the ways used to steal money from individuals.

U.K. bank Natwest released its annual “Celebrity Scam Super League,” which highlights the celebrities that were used by scammers to gain the most money.

Here’s a look at the list:

Peter Jones: 285,209 British Pounds, promotional article

Sir David Attenborough: 275,551 British Pounds, Twitter

Piers Morgan: 232,238 British Pounds, Facebook

Jeff Bezos: 158,873 British Pounds, Google Ad

Martin Lewis: 149,651 British Pounds, Facebook 

Elon Musk: 42,500 British Pounds, N/A

Bradley Walsh: 10,000 British Pounds, Facebook

Jones is the star of “Dragon’s Den,” the U.K. version of “Shark Tank.” According to the report, a customer responded to an article that appeared to feature Jones in an interview.

Attenborough, a British broadcaster and popular narrator, saw his likeness used in a fake ad on Twitter. The ad claimed that Attenborough makes six figures monthly from stocks of gold, natural gas and oil companies.

Amazon founder Bezos ranks fourth on the list with his likeness used in a Google ad. According to Decrypt, Bezos ranks as the most lucrative single-incident crypto scam on the list. Bezos saw his picture used in a Google advertisement highlighting a new trading platform for crypto on Amazon as an investment opportunity.

Tesla and Twitter CEO Musk ranks sixth on the list, with his likeness used in a crypto scam that saw over $50,000 stolen from a consumer. The scam showed Musk endorsing a crypto scheme and luring the consumer into believing it was a well-known billionaire.

Related Link: Will The Real Elon Musk Please Stand Up: Another Twitter Bitcoin Scam 

Why It’s Important: Natwest reported that investment scams accounted for 114.1 million British Pounds in losses for consumers in 2022. While this figure was down 34% from 2021, it remains a significant amount, with celebrities often used for scams of this nature.

“Criminals are using some of the U.K.’s most trusted and respected celebrity images to steal millions of pounds,” Natwest Scam Expert Stuart Skinner said. “I’d urge you to be extremely cautious of fake celebrity investment adverts seen online.”

Musk appearing on the list shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as he is often used in crypto scams on Twitter and elsewhere. The Twitter CEO is also targeted with YouTube videos that pop up and feature real video footage of past interviews and encourage users to send Bitcoin BTC/USD to get additional Bitcoin back, a popular scam.

While Bezos and Musk saw their likenesses used in crypto scams in the U.K., the other British celebrities-related scams were targeted with traditional money.

While cryptocurrency scams get a large share of headlines when it comes to using celebrities without their permission, scammers are utilizing other, more traditional methods of stealing consumers’ money.

A key takeaway could be the use of social media in many cases, with Twitter and Facebook used in the seven-biggest U.K. celebrity scams.

It’s important for consumers to consider who is posting the information and if it is correct. Often times, if something looks too good to be true, it is in fact too good to be true.

Read Next: UK Man Pleads Guilty To Hijacking Twitter Accounts Of Elon Musk, Joe Biden And Others 

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