Worried about celebrity endorsement scams? Here’s how you can protect against them.

Have you ever scrolled through your social media feed and found an ad or video promoting various celebrity-endorsed products?

Beware! It might be fraudsters out to get your money and information.

In a recent consumer alert, the FTC warned people about celebrity endorsement scams conducted online via social media platforms.

While it isn’t uncommon to see TV ads and billboards of movie stars, celebrities or YouTube personalities promoting merchandise or services, scammers are quick to capitalize on fame and stardom to promote their own fraudulent schemes.

Whether it’s unique investment opportunities or so-called giveaways, threat actors never miss a beat when it comes to conning unsuspecting individuals.

“Before you spend money on that celebrity-endorsed premium cookware, weight loss product, or can’t-miss money-making opportunity, pause. Take a breath,” the FTC said. Are you sure a celebrity or influencer is really endorsing that product or program? Maybe a scammer is behind that online ad.”

With millions of potential victims to line their pockets, cybercrooks are using doctored audio and videos of celebrities and influencers promoted through paid ad networks across some of the most popular social networks.

Researchers at Bitdefender also emphasized these scams' increased popularity and adaptability in recent months, citing numerous fake celebrity-endorsed giveaways, investment opportunities, and crypto-doubling schemes that employed deepfake technology and AI.

In February 2024, Bitdefender Labs analyzed the modus operandi of scammers who used Facebook’s advertising tools to deliver audio deepfake scams to unsuspecting members of the public.

The scams impersonating well-known celebs, including Jennifer Aniston, Elon Musk, and Oprah, endorsed time-limited investment opportunities, gambling, or giveaways of various gadgets, including iPhones and MacBooks.

Their goal? To persuade unwary consumers to enter personal details and credit card information onto fraudulent websites.

How to protect against celebrity endorsement scams?

• Think before you act and research any celebrity-endorsed giveaways or promotions you see online.
• Be extremely skeptical of investment opportunities that promise guaranteed or immediate returns. No investment comes without risks, not even those allegedly endorsed by your favorite celebrity. If someone says otherwise, it’s a scam!
• If you’ve stumbled upon healthcare products or dietary supplements that promise you immediate benefits, think twice. Ask your doctor before purchasing any over-the-counter medicine or other health-related products.
• Scrutinize anything that sounds too good to be true. Ads, videos or posts that use the image of social media influencers, Hollywood stars, or politicians shouldn’t be trusted by default.
• Exercise caution when sharing personal information online and via unsolicited messages, emails, or phone calls. Scammers may use details on your social media profile to tailor their social engineering schemes, take over your account and use them to deliver scams to your followers, friends and family. You can find out the extent of your digital footprint and even sniff out social media impersonators using Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection, our dedicated identity protection service.
• Install a security solution on your device to protect against phishing attempts and fraudulent websites. Bitdefender solutions offer various features to protect against these risks
• Have a chat with our free AI-powered scam detector. Outsmart scammers by using Bitdefender Scamio, for free and find find out whether the online content you interact with or the messages you receive are attempts to scam you.

• Always report celebrity endorsement scams you come across on social media platforms and notify the police and other relevant bodies of any suspicious behaviors and fraudulent attempts.