In the attack, a video of Elon Musk created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology was published and the Tesla logo was used. Even more concerning was that 7News’ YouTube verification badge was still visible on the hacked channel.

In the AI-manipulated video, Elon Musk encouraged viewers to scan a QR code displayed at a certain point on the screen. Users who read this code were actually directed to a website controlled by fraudsters. On the site, they were trying to trick them into transferring money to their cryptocurrency wallets.

Scammers also used fake comments in the YouTube live chat section to increase credibility. These comments included lies about cryptocurrency investors sending more than $5,000,000.

During the attack, the hijacked channel broadcast three different live broadcasts simultaneously. The fact that each broadcast has an average of more than 50,000 viewers shows the size of the number of people scammers are trying to reach.

Although the total number of subscribers of the 7News YouTube channel is 1.71 million, it remains unclear whether the number of viewers in the broadcasts is real or whether an attempt is made to increase the live broadcast to YouTube’s trend list with artificial views.

Fortunately, the live streams were removed at the time of publication and the links to the 7News YouTube channel are no longer working. This indicates that the problem was solved with a quick intervention.

However, the most worrying point is that this attack is not an isolated incident. Another YouTube channel that was hacked during the attack was also noteworthy. This small channel, with only 2,400 subscribers, was also hijacked while livestreaming a similar Elon Musk video. The presence of more than 45,000 viewers in this broadcast revealed the fraudsters’ skills in reaching their target audience.

7News made a statement on the issue, stating that they were aware of the broadcast and were working in cooperation with YouTube to resolve the issue. Additionally, other 7News channels were also hacked, including 7news Spotlight and the former Today Tonight channel. However, all content on these channels has been deleted.

This incident is the latest example of how scammers are exploiting Elon Musk’s popularity to deceive cryptocurrency users. Last week, a similar live broadcast promoted a “double your cryptocurrency” scam using artificial intelligence-altered Elon Musk.

The fact that this channel also has a YouTube verification badge proves that scammers often target such channels to pose as legitimate organizations.

In April, scammers flooded YouTube posing as SpaceX and Elon Musk’s space aviation initiative. These examples show that fraudsters do not rely solely on Elon Musk’s identity in cryptocurrency scams.

Last month, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission warned cryptocurrency investors about dubious cryptocurrency exchanges promising direct links to the Tesla CEO.

This incident once again reveals the seriousness of the threats that cryptocurrency investors may face on the internet. Users need to be extremely careful, especially when scanning QR codes and logging into suspicious websites.