Crypto Fraud On YouTube Streaming, Shows Interviews With Edited Cook Team

Tim Cook's interview with CNN was used as material for fraud. (photo: screenshot)

JAKARTA An account on YouTube broadcasts an old interview between Tim Cook and the media that appears to be being used to attract attention to crypto scams. As the video aired, tens of thousands of viewers were watching.

The fake live broadcast got attention with so many descriptions of Apple's series of keywords both in the title and in the description. But when netizens actually opened it, the video broadcast was filled with strange messages linking to the shady-looking crypto site.

The stream has a lot of fake signs. The title is just strange. For example, Apple Event Live. Apple CEO Tim Cook: Apple & Metaverse at 2022. and it shows an old interview CNN did with Cook in 2018.

Streamers also added the Bitcoin and Ethereum logos to the video streaming, which covers the CNN Money logo with the caption Apple Crypto Event 2022,.

If netizens actually click on the channel page which is claimed to be "Apple LIVE", then the URL has nothing to do with Apple. This can indicate that the channel has a different destination at one point but is hijacked by bad actors and used to host streaming.

YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge about this fake broadcast. Shortly after this story was published, the stream was removed for violating YouTube's service requirements.

This fake direct streaming is clearly not from Apple. But it ended up being the main focus on the company. Because Apple broadcast the iPhone 14 announcement a few hours ago, and CEO Tim Cook is currently being interviewed at tonight's Vox Media Code conference.

This misleading stream seems to be an attempt to trick people who might realize that Apple is going through a big day but don't know exactly what's going on.

Many netizens claimed to have found the streaming because it was recommended on the YouTube homepage which may have been partly because they had previously watched Apple videos from the show all day long. Even when they started watching fake streaming, Netzine had reported that there were around 16,000 viewers. Even other netizens claimed the example had reached nearly 70 thousand people.

The Verge also found live streaming on separate and cryptic channels, which claimed they were "Apple Inc". The stream was meant to be an event featuring Tesla Cook and CEO Elon Musk talking about Apple and the metaverse. Though that's actually an interview about Bitcoin with Musk and Block leader Jack Dorsey.

However, the streaming was also watched by many people and even reached more than 10,000 viewers, and was also linked to a crypto site that seemed vague in the chat. Now the streaming has also been deleted.