Bitcoin scams are Rebecca Love - Bewitched Housewives (2007)causing a lot of headaches right now. They've gotten so bad that an Apple cofounder has sued YouTube because of them.
Steve Wozniak filed a lawsuitthis week against YouTube over a string of Bitcoin scam videos hosted on the website. The videos use Wozniak's name and likeness to trick viewers into sending Bitcoin to the scammers by promising they'll get sent even more Bitcoin in return.
Wozniak's lawyers point out that while Twitter quickly responded to its own Bitcoin scam last week, they accuse YouTube of doing nothing in order to profit off the videos.
Seventeen other victims of Bitcoin scams have joined Wozniak to sue YouTube. They want YouTube to immediately take down the videos and warn users about these scam giveaways so they can be avoided. They also want YouTube to pony up an undisclosed amount for damages.
In a statement provided to Bloomberg, YouTube said that scams and impersonations are against the platform’s policies and the company works to remove them when it detects these violations.
The online video giant has previously defended itself against similar lawsuits by arguing that the company can't be held accountable for the content posted by its users under the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996. In general, that law protects publishers that host user-generated content from being sued for what's been uploaded to their platforms.
Bitcoin scams have inundated major social media websites in recent years. A scammer typically poses as a well-known celebrity or tech entrepreneur. While pretending to be this individual, the fraudster will offer an easy money-making scheme that involves sending the scammer Bitcoin. The scammer promises the victim that they will receive even more cryptocurrency in return. The victim never receives the cryptocurrency and loses whatever amount they had sent in the first place.
A screenshot of the YouTube search results showing videos and livestreams of the Bitcoin scams. Credit: SCRIBD YouTube scammers livestream or upload videos promoting these Bitcoin schemes, using photos and video of Steve Wozniak, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and other tech luminaries in order to trick viewers into sending the cryptocurrency to the scammer’s account. There are numerous pre-existing videos of Wozniak on YouTube discussing Bitcoin positively as a disruptive technology so it's fairly easy for scammers to find content to use in their fraud campaigns.
The Twitter hackers from last week also used Musk's and Gates' accounts in their Bitcoin scam, which is very similar to the one used on YouTube. Twitter experienced the biggest attack in its history when a hacker (or possibly hackers) took over dozens of verified accounts in order to tweet out a Bitcoin scam. The hacker walked away with around $120,000 in Bitcoin in just a few hours.
Interestingly, Wozniak’s lawsuit heralds Twitter for the actions it took, especially when compared to YouTube.
“That same day, Twitter acted swiftly and decisively to shut down these accounts and to protect its users from the scam,” reads the lawsuit obtained by cryptocurrency news outlet CoinDesk. “In stark contrast, for months now, Defendant YouTube has been unapologetically hosting, promoting, and directly profiting from similar scams. YouTube has featured a steady stream of scam videos and promotions that falsely use images and videos of Plaintiff Steve Wozniak, and other famous tech entrepreneurs."
These Bitcoin scams are clearly not going away. In fact, the scammers are getting even more brazen as shown by the Twitter hack. Platforms where these scams spread need to step up efforts to stop them. Whether Wozniak's lawsuit will actually move the needle remains to be seen.
Topics Bitcoin Social Media
Wordle today: The answer and hints for April 14, 2025
BlackBerry teams with Delphi for cybersecurity for self
Watch an army of robots efficiently sorting hundreds of thousands of packages
This dude is the only person who's truly celebrating Earth, Wind & Fire Day
Apple iPhone 17 Pro leaks highlight major new design change
Here's 27.6 billion reasons why Facebook wants to regulate itself
Hurricane Maria slams Puerto Rico, Caribbean — here's how to help
French chef wants to be stripped of his Michelin stars for a very relatable reason
Alienware M16 Gaming Laptop deal: Save $560
Report claims iPhone X production hasn't even started yet
U.N. aims to make carbon emissions cost money at COP 25 climate talks
Uber is losing its licence to operate in London, but don't panic just yet
Hulu snags Sean Penn to star in upcoming series about Mars
Watch an army of robots efficiently sorting hundreds of thousands of packages
Get the official Atari 7800+ Console for 50% off
The Apple Watch Series 3 is a bad sign for a 5G world
Facebook just copied MySpace's worst feature to creep on your friends
A close friend of Jake Gyllenhaal gave me crucial advice on how to become BFFs with him
Best headphone deal: Take 22% off the Sonos Ace at Amazon
iPhone 8 still manages to draw substantial crowd, despite the iPhone X that's coming
BBC dad makes a beautiful, earnest commitment to us allHow to delete a tweet and a retweetImpressive Halloween display makes the viral 12'The New York Times' profiled the most selfish person in AmericaTrump's dead father mistake may be his most awkward moment this weekSnapchat and Instagram drop Giphy for allowing racist GIFsGirl drunkenly takes photos of her locked doors to reassure her sober selfVirus from a pond treats man with antibioticAustralian heroes brave floodwaters to save a giant spiderWhat is my VPN IP address — and how can I hide it?Fitbit Ace is a fitness tracker for kidsHBO's 'Scenes from a Marriage' didn't need that gimmickTrump's dead father mistake may be his most awkward moment this weekGirl drunkenly takes photos of her locked doors to reassure her sober selfA dispute between two countries slowed clocks down across Europe by six minutesPETA activists storm Crufts dog show pitchThis princess just became the first British royal to create a personal InstagramLinkedIn stalking is low key the biggest thing in online datingA dispute between two countries slowed clocks down across Europe by six minutesHow to delete a tweet and a retweet We are what we wear — and that matters a lot in job interviews 9 movie and TV moments that feel eerily similar to Trump firing Comey Psy's new hot single reminds you that he still has the top YouTube video of all time Donald Trump slams 'no Watch: Heath Ledger's sister 'screamed and cried' watching new documentary Harry Styles is asked if his new song is about Taylor Swift and it gets super awkward This guy makes amazing coffee art that is seriously next level Snapchat is testing a new way to make money — with Hello Kitty UK startup Improbable just raised half a billion dollars to build the Matrix The iPhone was the world's bestselling smartphone in Q1 2017 When did laptops become such a danger on planes? Turns out that a 'Ghostbusters' monster was actually a real dinosaur 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' is coming to Twitch for an epic marathon Netflix's new series is definitely going to make you paranoid about dating apps 'The Sims' like the one you remember is coming to iPhones and Androids Tesla's Solar Roof tiles now available for pre 'Minecraft' is now on Nintendo Switch. The good news is: It's still great. Please stop driving into this house, it's had 48 cars crash into it in 2016 alone I went to a rage room and smashed up a bunch of stuff and it was amazing A Russian blogger was sentenced for playing 'Pokémon Go' in a church
2.5076s , 10132.7578125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Rebecca Love - Bewitched Housewives (2007)】,Pursuit Information Network