Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran Among 10 Most Targeted Celebs in AI Scams That Stole Billions
For years, the voices of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter and several other top artists in the music industry have provided the soundtrack to millions of lives. But now, a sophisticated ring of cybercriminals has turned the beloved voices into dangerous weapons. In a shocking new trend that has cybersecurity experts sounding the alarm, hackers are using AI deepfakes to impersonate some of the world's biggest stars across the music landscape. In turn, it's led to unsuspecting fans being duped out of significant amounts of money. It's far from surprising that this has been utilized to mimic some of the biggest celebrities and performers, and the dangerous trend resulted in billions of dollars being lost.
How the Deepfake Trap Targeting Top Musicians Works
The news of this awful trend, in which hackers impersonate the biggest names in music, was first revealed in a report from the social media security company Spikerz, as Dexerto reported. According to the details, these hackers were linked to AI-powered celebrity scams on social media, resulting in impersonators stealing an estimated $5.3 billion from fans in 2025.
According to the report, scammers would pose as artists such as Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran, among several others. They used "fake accounts, hacked profiles and cloned content to trick fans."
Here's a breakdown of how the AI scammers managed to steal roughly $5.3 billion:
- Hackers posed as top celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Sabrina Carpenter.
- Fake social media accounts and hacked profiles were used to convince fans to buy nonexistent tickets.
- The hackers also sold fake merchandise and VIP experiences to unsuspecting fans.
- The social media security company Spikerz cited platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and X as "high-risk entry points," according to the report.
While artificial intelligence tools become increasingly convincing over time, this trend has become a dangerous and extremely costly scam for fans. Considering the list of high-profile musicians who were targeted most in 2025, it has set a concerning precedent heading into 2026.
The Billion-Dollar Bait: Why These 10 Stars Are the Top Targets
There's a wide range of artists listed among the 10 most impersonated of 2025 by Spikerz, but it was Swift and Carpenter who were reportedly at the very top of the list. Considering Swift's worldwide popularity and "The Era's Tour," which spanned 149 shows in 21 countries, it's far from surprising to see her at the top of the list. Carpenter also exploded in popularity in 2025, quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Following Swift and Carpenter in the report were Billie Eilish, BTS, Adele, Sheeran, BLACKPINK, Ariana Grande, Drake, and Lewis Capaldi, according to Dexerto. This report also cites that scammers targeted musicians because of the trust and engagement built between them and their passionate fanbases.
"The scams take multiple forms. Swift fans were targeted with realistic fake ticket listings, merch stores, and VIP packages, while Carpenter’s younger fanbase was hit with cloned accounts advertising fraudulent meet-and-greet offers and pre-sale links," explained Dexerto.
"Billie Eilish impersonators ran fake livestreams and giveaways designed to harvest personal information and payments."
With the popularity of those listed above, along with many more extremely popular musicians, fans should do their best to ensure that they're on high alert when seeking concert tickets, merchandise and much more. Always use verified websites and trusted purchasing options before paying for anything.
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