MrBeast stars used in deepfake scam videos
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A video appeared on TikTok this week, claiming to be MrBeast offering people new iPhones for $2 (£1.65).

Matthew Amroliwala and Sally Bundock’s likenesses were used to promote a known scam.

A video on Facebook purportedly showed journalists introducing Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter, and promoting investment opportunities.

Videos claiming to show him giving away money and cryptocurrency have appeared in the past.

Facebook-owner Meta was approached through a comment, and the content has since been removed.

FullFact, which first reported the issue, previously gated the videos by an image warning viewers that they contained false information.

An official at Meta said, “We don’t allow this kind of content on our platforms.”

As we work to improve our systems, we encourage anyone who sees content that they believe violates our rules to report it using our in-app tools so we can investigate and take action.

Meanwhile, a TikTok spokesperson said the company removed the MrBeast ad within a few hours of it being uploaded, and the account that posted it was removed for violating its policies. After a busy Monday night, I went to bed early, as I would have to be in the Newsroom by 3am on Tuesday morning.

A friend called my husband. Afterwards, he asked me, “Sally, have you interviewed Elon Musk lately?” “No… I wish,” I replied.

I realized then that I was done.

Was it just a matter of time in this brave new world? It boggles the mind.