Sydney Sweeney, Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift among top 10 celebrities used for online scams

Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, and Johnny Depp are among the celebrities whose identities are frequently used for online scams.

McAfee, a computer security company, has revealed its yearly list (below) of the top ten celebrity names whose search results are frequently corrupted by hackers attempting to defraud unwary followers.

Sydney Sweeney.

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

The actors' likenesses are being utilized without authorization in fraudulent schemes that offer movie or music downloads, offers on celebrity-backed items, cryptocurrency investments, or tickets to popular shows. The scammers would also utilize convincing-looking deepfake videos of the actors to obtain a fan's bank account information or to install malware on their devices, which might lead to identity theft.

"With cybercriminals using advanced AI tools to create more convincing scams, the risks are growing, and celebrity names are the perfect bait for curious consumers," said Abhishek Karnik, head of security research at McAfee, which provides protection software and a deepfake detector. "That's why people should be cautious and think twice before clicking. While AI-generated information is not always damaging, it is getting increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and phony."

Here is the list of the celebrities whose names and likenesses were most commonly manufactured for online frauds this year, all without their knowledge. Also covered is the type of scam for which the names were utilized. Celebrities are more diverse than one might assume, ranging from elderly male actors to younger female stars to artists with a large teen fan base.

1. Scarlett Johansson: The Black Widow star's name and image were exploited in ads and sponsorships. Johansson has also expressed concern over nonconsensual AI-generated content, threatening legal action against OpenAI for allegedly copying and impersonating her voice.

2. Kylie Jenner: The reality star and influencer's name and image have been utilized in social media giveaway frauds, as well as bogus Kylie Cosmetics items and websites.

3. Taylor Swift: The megastar singer's name and image were utilized for celebrity endorsements, ticket frauds, product giveaway scams, and disinformation (Donald Trump shared an AI fake claiming Swift had endorsed him).

4. Anya Taylor-Joy: The Furiosa star's name and image have been exploited in a giveaway fraud, and her Twitter/X account has been hacked to promote false Queen's Gambit sequel information.

5. Tom Hanks: The Oscar winner's name and image have been exploited to advertise "miracle cures and wonder drugs."

6. Sabrina Carpenter: The "Espresso" singer's name and image have been used in fraudulent ticketing scams and to promote an app for making sexually explicit photographs.

7. Sydney Sweeney: The Anyone But You star's name and image have been utilized in cryptocurrency frauds.

8. Blake Lively: The It Ends With Us star's name appeared in a weight loss gummy hoax.

9. Johnny Depp: The Pirates of the Caribbean star's image has been exploited without authorization in giveaway, cryptocurrency, and fundraising frauds.

10. Addison Rae: The "Diet Pepsi" singer's image has been exploited without authorization in fraudulent sponsorships, giveaways, and cryptocurrency frauds.