Cybercriminals are impersonating YouTube’s CEO in a fake video, claiming you must accept new income terms to keep your channel’s features.
In this week’s scam, you receive an email containing a video from what appears to be YouTube’s CEO. In the video, the CEO claims that YouTube is changing its income policy, and you must accept new terms and conditions to make money from your channel. The video informs you that you have seven days to comply, or you will lose access to important features.
The video’s description directs you to click a link to accept the new terms and conditions. But the CEO in the video isn’t real. The cybercriminals have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create a fake video, and everything the “CEO” says is an attempt to trick you. Additionally, the link in the video description leads to a fake web page that the cybercriminals control. If you enter your login information here, they will steal it immediately and access your YouTube account. Then, they will use it to post cryptocurrency scam videos!
Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to a phishing scam:
- Always verify the source of unexpected emails. Be sure to log in to your YouTube account using the official website or app to check if an email you received is legitimate.
- Never click unverified links. Remember to hover your mouse over URL links to check if they are legitimate domains.
- Scammers frequently create a sense of urgency to try and trick you into acting impulsively. It is unlikely that YouTube would enact a major policy change with a short deadline for you to respond.
Stop, Look, and Think. Don’t be fooled.
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DISCLAIMER : Any non-technical views expressed are not necessarily those of Keller Schroeder or its employee-owners.
