Fraudsters posted a fake Apple livestream hours after the real keynote presentation. The link led tens of thousands of viewers to an old interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook. Fake logos pointed to a dubious-looking crypto website.
On Wednesday, September 7, 2022, Apple unveiled new products at its special event. Millions of people around the world were awaiting CEO Tim Cook’s latest keynote.
A group of scammers:inside also took advantage of that. Shortly after the real event, they posted a fake Apple livestream on YouTube. It contained an old CNN interview with Cook from 2018, which apparently served to draw the attention of those interested in Apple to a crypto scam. With success: tens of thousands of people tuned in.
Fake Apple livestream led to dubious crypto website
As The Verge reports, both the title and the description of the livestream aroused interest due to included Apple keywords. For example, the broadcast was called “Apple Event Live. Ceo of Apple Tim Cook: Apple & Metaverse in 2022.”
In addition, the livestream had been filled with messages about a dubious-looking crypto website. Moreover, the scammers:inside added logos of Bitcoin and Ethereum. In order to disguise the actual source of the included interview, the streamers also covered up the CNN logo with the words “Apple Crypto Event 2022”.
Tens of thousands followed the fake YouTube link
Even though many signs indicated that it was a fake livestream, it took place at a time when Apple was in the global spotlight. That’s because the fake broadcast went online just hours after the real Apple keynote presentation.
Shortly before The Verge published the article, the fake Apple livestream had about 70,000 views. The US tech magazine also found another stream that allegedly showed an event with Cook and Tesla CEO Elon Musk about Apple and the Metaverse.
This link was also a fake stream that directed around 10,000 viewers to a dubious crypto website. The stream has since been removed by YouTube.
YouTube has not yet responded to inquiries from The Verge. However, the online service deleted the fake Apple livestream shortly after the online magazine published the corresponding article. The reason given was a violation of the terms of use.
