YouTube warns creators of deepfake scam featuring CEO Neal Mohan

They’re faking it until they’re making it. Unfortunately, they’re making it our problem.

YouTube has raised alarms about a sophisticated AI-enabled phishing scam targeting content creators through deepfake videos of CEO Neal Mohan. The scam’s emergence highlights the growing sophistication of AI-powered fraud, where deepfake technology is being weaponized to exploit the trust between platforms and their users, potentially threatening the creator economy that has become central to YouTube’s ecosystem.

The big picture: Scammers are using AI-generated videos of YouTube CEO Neal Mohan to deceive creators in a targeted phishing campaign designed to steal channel credentials.

How it works: The fraudsters privately share AI-generated videos showing Mohan announcing supposed changes to YouTube’s monetization policies.

• The scam directs creators to download and complete a form, which is actually malicious executable (.exe) file.
• Once downloaded, the malware can steal session cookies and gain unauthorized access to creators’ channels.

Key details: The phishing emails are crafted to appear legitimate by using an official-looking address: ‘[email protected]’.

• The scam specifically targets YouTube creators through private video sharing.
• Multiple Reddit users have reported receiving these fraudulent communications.

YouTube’s response: The platform has explicitly stated that neither the company nor its employees will ever share information through private videos.

• Users are warned against clicking links in these suspicious videos, as they may lead to malware-infected phishing sites.
• The company is actively working to remove these fraudulent videos from the platform and encourages users to report them.

Why this matters: This sophisticated phishing operation represents a concerning evolution in social engineering attacks, combining deepfake technology with targeted phishing to exploit the creator-platform relationship that powers YouTube’s ecosystem.