New research from McAfee’s 2025 Most Dangerous Celebrity: Deepfake Deception List reveals the celebrities and influencers whose faces are most often exploited in these digital frauds, highlighting a growing market for AI-powered fake endorsements.
In an age where AI can clone a voice or face with stunning precision, “seeing is believing” no longer applies. Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging sophisticated deepfake technology, hijacking the likenesses of the world’s most recognizable stars to lure people into financial scams.
Taylor Swift tops in Most Deepfaked People List
Globally, the crown for the celebrity most hijacked by scammers belongs to Taylor Swift. The formula for scammers is simple: they use someone people trust to promote something that doesn’t exist.
Following Swift on the global list are names like Scarlett Johansson and Jenna Ortega. Other highly exploited global figures include Brad Pitt, Billie Eilish, and Emma Watson. The deception is not limited to Hollywood legends, either; scammers are now targeting social platforms aggressively, with the first-ever Influencer Deepfake Deception List led by gamer and streamer Pokimane.
The financial impact worldwide is significant. According to a survey of 8,600 people globally, 72% of Americans have encountered fake celebrity or influencer endorsements, and one in ten of those victims reported losing money or personal data, with an average loss of $525 per victim.
| Rank | Celebrity |
| 1 | Taylor Swift |
| 2 | Scarlett Johansson |
| 3 | Jenna Ortega |
| 4 | Sydney Sweeney |
| 5 | Sabrina Carpenter |
| 6 | Tom Cruise |
| 7 | Brad Pitt |
| 8 | Billie Eilish |
| 9 | Emma Watson |
| 10 | Kendrick Lamar |
India’s Key Targets: SRK and Alia Bhatt
The deepfake threat is particularly acute in India, where the digital ecosystem is highly active. The 2025 edition of McAfee’s report found that Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) and Alia Bhatt topped the ‘Most Dangerous Celebrity’ list for India.
The sheer volume of social media usage in India makes it a key target for these online scams. 95% of users are on WhatsApp, 94% on YouTube, and 84% on Instagram. The scale of the problem is staggering: 90% of Indians have encountered fake or AI-generated celebrity endorsements. Those who fell victim to these schemes reported an average loss of ₹34,500.
Furthermore, the deception is spreading beyond mainstream actors. About 60% of Indian respondents reported encountering deepfake content featuring social media influencers and digital creators. Other global figures identified on the list include Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Elon Musk, Cristiano Ronaldo, and BTS members.
The Scammer’s Playbook: Hacking Human Trust
Scammers rely on two core strategies: advanced technology and basic human psychology.
The Technology of Deception
Modern deepfake generators can mimic voices, facial movements, and micro-expressions with uncanny precision. For audio deepfakes, scammers now require as little as three seconds of a person’s voice to create convincing fraudulent content.
These AI-generated videos and audio clips are commonly used to promote malicious offers:
- Fake skincare products.
- Cryptocurrency schemes and investments.
- Giveaways and exclusive deals.
- Endorsements for gadgets and supplements.
As Pratim Mukherjee, Senior Director of Engineering at McAfee, noted, deepfakes have “changed the game for cybercriminals; they’re no longer hacking systems—they’re hacking human trust”.
The Psychology of the Scam
Deepfake scams prey on parasocial relationships, which are the one-sided emotional bonds fans form with public figures. When a fake “celebrity” sends a direct message offering a deal or asking for details, it feels personal, causing people to act before they think. When users see a familiar face, their guard automatically lowers.
Read this: 10 Ways to Keep Smartphones Safe & Secure from Hackers
The danger is that only 29% of people feel confident identifying a fake, and 21% admit to having low confidence spotting deepfakes, making them highly effective.
How to Protect Yourself from Deepfake Deception
You cannot stop scammers from cloning famous faces, but you can stop them from fooling you. Since the line between real and fake is vanishing fast, awareness and caution are critical.
Follow these steps to protect your personal and financial data:
- Pause Before You Click: If an ad or post featuring a celebrity seems “too good to be true” or appears out of character for that public figure, it probably is.
- Verify at the Source: Check the celebrity’s verified account on social media to see if they genuinely endorsed the product or scheme. Look for subtle details like inconsistent posting style or poor engagement patterns that scammers often miss.
- Look for Signs of Manipulation: Watch the video or listen to the audio carefully for clues of AI generation, such as off-sync lip movements, a robotic tone, or inconsistent lighting.
- Never Share Sensitive Information: Never share personal or payment details via messages, even if the sender appears to be a verified person.
By being vigilant and verifying content, you can prevent yourself from falling victim to the sophisticated scams that hijack the likenesses of stars like Taylor Swift and SRK.
Key Takeaways
- Deepfake technology is being used to exploit the likenesses of celebrities and influencers for financial scams.
- Taylor Swift is the most globally hijacked celebrity by scammers, while SRK and Alia Bhatt are key targets in India.
- Scammers use AI to mimic voices and faces and prey on parasocial relationships to trick people.
- Verify information at the source and avoid sharing personal information to protect yourself from deepfake deception.
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