Is that really Ripple? Deepfake scams target XRP holders on YouTube

Ripple, and its CEO Brad Garlinghouse, has issued an urgent warning, alerting the community about an uptick in deepfake scams impersonating the blockchain firm on YouTube.

Ripple has witnessed a rise in fraudulent livestreams, often using altered footage of company executives, a recent alert issued on the company’s official X account.

According to the firm, scammers were hacking legitimate YouTube channels, modifying them to resemble Ripple’s branding, and broadcasting fake XRP giveaways.

What are these deepfake scams, and how do they operate?

For those unaware, deepfake scams typically involve AI-generated videos that impersonate prominent crypto executives, using past footage modified to mimic live announcements. 

The scammers often claim that Ripple is offering a “special event” or “limited-time opportunity” where users can double their XRP by sending funds to a specified wallet address. 

A recurring theme in these schemes is the promise of multiplying user deposits, accompanied by fake timestamps, manipulated transaction logs, and QR codes that link to fraudulent websites.

At press time, crypto.news observed at least two YouTube channels were livestreaming deepfaked versions of Garlinghouse using recycled video content.

Both streams featured on-screen QR codes, overlays imitating Ripple’s branding, and AI-generated voiceovers urging viewers to participate in a “giveaway event.” The channels had more than 20,000 viewers each.

Has Ripple or its executives been targeted before?

Yes, this is not the first time Ripple or its executives have been used in scams. Ripple CEO Garlinghouse has previously appeared in a deepfake scam video that circulated widely among XRP holders, falsely promoting another doubling scheme. 

Ripple has consistently warned that neither the company nor its executives will ever ask users to send cryptocurrency.

Why is Ripple a recurring target for impersonation?

Ripple’s high-profile legal battles, mainstream recognition, its large and vocal community, and the historical performance of XRP make it a consistent target for impersonators. XRP has surged roughly 40% in the past month, placing it in the spotlight during the broader crypto market rally.

Scammers often exploit such bullish sentiment to increase the credibility of their schemes and attract unsuspecting investors looking to capitalise on price movements.

Garlinghouse himself warned that market rallies often coincide with an uptick in scam activity, stating.

“Like clockwork, with success and market rallies, scammers ramp up their attacks,” he wrote in a recent X post.

Unfortunately, scammers also look beyond Ripple when it comes to coming up with new ways to defraude unsuspecting cryptocurrency investors. Over the years, several major personalities and brands have been targets of scammers.

For instance, Apple CEO Tim Cook was impersonated in a livestream scam coinciding with the iPhone “Glowtime” event in September 2024. Over 355,000 people viewed the video, which used a manipulated interview clip to promote a fake crypto giveaway.

Elon Musk, SpaceX, Vitalik Buterin, and even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak have all been targeted by similar campaigns, many of which were broadcast through YouTube and other social platforms.

Meanwhile, in 2023, well-followed YouTuber DidYouKnowGaming lost control of his channel, which was repurposed to promote an XRP giveaway scam before YouTube intervened.

Has YouTube done anything to stop these scams?

Ripple previously sued YouTube in 2020 over its failure to act against impersonation and fraud, accusing the platform of profiting from the activity. However, the case was dropped in March 2021 after both parties reached an undisclosed agreement to work together against fraudulent content.

However, the recurrence of similar scams in 2023, 2024, and now 2025 raises questions about the platform’s ability to enforce protections consistently.

YouTube has yet to issue a formal response to the current wave of Ripple-related scams, despite multiple reports from users and affected parties. 

Past statements have urged users to report videos using the platform’s flagging tools, but victims argue that enforcement is inconsistent and often too slow to prevent financial losses.

As previously reported by crypto.news, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao echoed similar concerns last month after reports emerged of Zoom-based phishing attacks using deepfake video calls.

Last year, a report from Bitget estimated that at least $79 billion in crypto losses were the result of deepfake scams between 2022 and 2024.