The aspiration of a South Korean woman to communicate with Elon Musk was dashed when she fell victim to a devious deepfake scheme. The event highlights the growing risk posed by deepfake technology and the complex online deceit that can result from it.
The victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, described the experience as living in a surreal dream. Initially, a seed of doubt sprouted when she received a friend request on Instagram from an account claiming to be the tech magnate. Despite being a devoted fan of Musk, her admiration, nurtured by reading his autobiography, couldn’t completely quell the suspicion of a random celebrity reaching out.
Undeterred by her hesitation, the scammer meticulously crafted a believable facade. Photos supposedly depicting Musk engrossed in his work at Tesla or SpaceX were strategically shared. The scammer even provided fabricated identification documents, further solidifying the illusion. They wove a detailed narrative about Musk’s life, discussing his family, daily routines at his companies, and even mentioned using helicopters to commute – details that seemed genuine to the unsuspecting fan.
Recounting the events with vivid clarity, the victim recalled how “Musk” spoke about a supposed meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in April 2023, to discuss constructing Tesla Gigafactories in Seoul and Jeju. This fabricated story, aligning with recent discussions about Tesla’s expansion plans, further bolstered the scammer’s credibility.
The trust between the victim and the imposter reached its peak during a video call orchestrated with deepfake technology. The scammer, seamlessly impersonating Musk, presented a fabricated investment opportunity, portraying it as a way to reward loyal fans. Recalling the sequence of events, the woman explained that the scammer mentioned randomly reaching out to fans and expressed delight at the prospect of them achieving financial success. This act of supposed generosity ultimately convinced the victim to transfer a significant sum of $50,000 to a Korean bank account provided by the scammer.
This episode is a clear cautionary tale about the increasing intricacy of deepfake schemes. Similar in their methods, romance scams are regrettably a common issue; in the US alone, victims lost an astounding $1.3 billion to them in 2022. Moreover, this is not the first instance of Elon Musk’s identity being misused. Yilong Ma, a Chinese social media star who bears a striking likeness to Musk, has attracted a lot of attention online. The actual Elon Musk even expressed questions about Ma’s veracity after seeing her.
The situation involving the South Korean woman emphasizes how important it is to raise awareness of deepfake technology and scammers’ deceptive methods. It’s important to use caution while interacting with anyone online, especially those who identify as famous. Avoiding falling for such intricate online scams can be prevented by checking information through proper sources, being cautious of unsolicited investment possibilities, and keeping a healthy dose of skepticism.
