Taylor Swift’s popularity is unparalleled, and she always dominates the charts with her albums. But this time, she’s at the top, not on some global Billboard list, but on the “Most Dangerous Celebrity” list. Her name is at the top of McAfee’s Most Dangerous Celebrity: Deepfake Deception List this year. The list features celebrities who are exploited the most by scammers.
Taylor Swift is McAfee’s 2025 Most Dangerous Celebrity
Taylor Swift has taken the top spot on McAfee’s Most Dangerous Celebrity: Deepfake Deception List this year. The list features celebrities who are frequently used by scammers to prey on people online.
This year, Swift claimed the number one spot as the most impersonated and exploited celebrity. This means that her identity is heavily used for online scams and deepfake misuse. Scammers often use her name, image, or voice to create fake advertisements, videos, or fraudulent messages to deceive people.
Meanwhile, Pokimane, the renowned YouTuber, led McAfee’s influencer list, showing that scammers target not just global icons but also social media creators.
Swift is a global icon with a massive fan base. Cybercriminals take advantage of this by pretending to be them online, using AI to impersonate their voice and face. Once people fall for the trap, scammers use these fake look-alikes to sell fake products or push shady schemes.
Following her engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce, Swift became a major target for scammers. They pushed fake “limited-edition” Swift products and spread “leaked” deepfake videos to lure fans into clicking or buying.
Research conducted by McAfee found that about 10 percent of people have lost money to such fake videos and endorsements.
As reported by Business Wire, Stephanie Fried, Chief Marketing Officer at McAfee, expressed that “celebrity and influencer culture” is now “influencing how criminals run their scams.” Fried continued, “By naming the stars whose likeness is most often misused, we hope to help fans recognize the red flags and pair that vigilance with AI-powered tools like McAfee’s Scam Detector to confirm what’s real or fake.”
Originally reported by Chhavi Puri on Reality Tea
