Redditors have reported a deep Ripple scam on YouTube
Reddit users have seen a deeply fake video of Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse asking XRP (XRP) holders to send their coins to an address that will double the amount, a common tactic employed by scammers.
In a Reddit thread, a user of the online forum reported seeing the ad on YouTube between November 25 and December 3. Other redditors in the thread also said they saw similar ads on the forum and reported them.
In the video, the seemingly AI-generated Garlinghouse invites viewers to participate in an XRP event, and to a “designated address. In response, the character in the video promises to return the fake gift “double”.
On July 14, Ripple's Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, warned investors not to add to XRP scams after the July court ruling on the company's battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Schwartz said there are no airdrops, giveaways or special offers associated with the decision.
Related: Debunking Ongoing Token Scams by DeFi Execs
Despite indications that the video ad was an attempt to scam crypto users, the Redditor said Google refused to take the ad down. A Reddit user shared a screenshot of Google's trust and security team's response, saying they had decided not to remove the ad. According to the screenshot, the Google team stated that the ad does not violate their policy and urged the user to submit additional information within six months.
Redditors also shared a link to an in-depth fake ad video that isn't on YouTube. At the time of this writing, the video had over 17,000 views, although it was not searchable on the platform. Reddit users urged the public not to interact with the video's QR code to avoid losing their money.
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