 "Diljit Dosanjh")
Following Orry on the list is singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh, whose upcoming ‘Dil-Luminati’ concert tour has been plagued with concerns about ticketing scams
If you are a fan of celebrities like singer Diljit Dosanjh, actress Alia Bhatt, or cricketer Virat Kohli, be cautious about the links you click on in forwards or while searching for news about them online. These celebrities are among those whose names generate the riskiest online results, according to a McAfee report.
Global online protection company McAfee unveiled its annual “Celebrity Hacker Hot List 2024,” identifying Indian celebrities whose names yield the “riskiest” online results. This year’s findings indicate that the more popular or viral a celebrity is, the more appealing their names become for cybercriminals looking to exploit their fame to create malicious sites and scams. These scams can lead to significant data breaches, financial losses, and theft of personal information.
Topping the list for India is Orhan Awatramani, also known as Orry. His sudden rise in popularity, association with other high-profile celebrities, and increased content have made his name appealing for cybercriminals to exploit. This highlights how cybercriminals take advantage of the flood of unverified information surrounding new or emerging public figures to lure consumers searching for updates.
Following him on the list is singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh, whose upcoming ‘Dil-Luminati’ concert tour has been plagued with concerns about ticketing scams. Large-scale events like these are often exploited due to overwhelming fan interest and a surge in search volume, leading to fraudulent ticketing sites, discount or resale schemes, and phishing scams.
The rise of generative AI and deepfakes has further complicated the cybersecurity landscape, with many celebrities falling victim to misinformation. Leading actress Alia Bhatt has faced multiple deepfake incidents, while actors Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan have been falsely depicted endorsing political parties through election-related deepfakes, the report noted.
“AI-generated deepfakes use existing content to manipulate faces, voices, and even actions. While some deepfakes are harmless fun, others can spread misinformation, influence elections, damage reputations, or scam consumers. If something seems too good to be true, it likely is. To protect oneself and loved ones’ online privacy and identity, it’s important to remain vigilant,” said Vonny Gamot, McAfee’s Head of EMEA.
Personalities like Virat Kohli and Shahrukh Khan have also appeared in deepfake content promoting betting apps. Scammers capitalise on fans’ curiosity using tactics like malicious URLs, deceptive messages, and AI-driven image-audio-video scams, resulting in financial losses and damaging the reputation of and consumer trust in affected celebrities.
Earlier this year, a McAfee survey revealed that 80 per cent of Indians are now more concerned about deepfakes than they were a year ago, with 64 per cent stating that AI has made it more difficult to spot online scams. Almost 75 per cent of Indians reported having seen deepfake content, 38 per cent encountered a deepfake scam, and 18 per cent were victims of a deepfake scam. Among those affected by deepfake scams, 57 per cent mistook a celebrity video, image, or recording for authentic, with 31 per cent suffering financial loss as a result. Of those who fell prey to voice cloning or other deepfake/AI scams, 64 per cent lost money, with 43 per cent losing more than Rs 40,000 and 10 per cent losing over Rs 800,000.
McAfee’s Celebrity Hacker Hot List serves as a stark reminder for consumers to understand how AI scams and deepfakes work and how they can best protect themselves from online threats. McAfee’s Threat Research Labs Team created the Celebrity Hacker Hot List by identifying the high-profile celebrities most frequently used in malicious activities and deepfake scams. These scams often generate unsafe search results that could lead consumers to unknowingly install malware and jeopardise their data, privacy, and identity.
The study was conducted by McAfee threat intelligence researchers to determine the number of risky sites and the amount of misleading content generated by searching a celebrity’s name with commonly used terms. A risk score was calculated for each celebrity.
First Published: Oct 08 2024 | 1:18 PM IST
