Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter AI Impersonators Ripped Off Fans for Billions in 2025

Hackers posing as popular music stars have defrauded fans out of billions in 2025, with losses reaching an estimated $5.3 billion, according to a report from social media security company Spikerz. The scams rely heavily on AI-generated content to trick fans across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X.

The Spikerz report highlights that impersonators of Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter were the most active, followed by Billie Eilish, BTS, Adele, Ed Sheeran, BLACKPINK, Ariana Grande, Drake, and Lewis Capaldi.

These scammers created fake accounts, hijacked profiles, and copied content to sell nonexistent concert tickets, merchandise, VIP experiences, and even cryptocurrency schemes.

“Social platforms have become the most important connection point between artists and their audiences, and therefore, the most vulnerable,” said Scott Cohen, The Orchard co-founder and Spikerz advisor. “If we want artists to innovate and experiment, we have to give them digital environments where they’re not constantly under attack.”

The scams took several forms. Swift fans were lured with fake ticket listings, counterfeit merch stores, and fake VIP packages. Carpenter’s younger audience fell for cloned accounts promoting fraudulent meet-and-greet events and pre-sale links. Billie Eilish impersonators ran fake livestreams and giveaways designed to steal personal information and payments.

High-profile incidents in 2025 included hackers taking over Instagram accounts of Adele, Future, Tyla, Pink Floyd, and the estate of Michael Jackson to push a cryptocurrency scam that netted at least $49,000. In another case, scammers posing as Johnny Depp and his team reportedly swindled victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Spikerz warns that these scams do more than just steal money; they also damage the artists’ reputations and can hurt their long-term earnings. “When fans are duped by a fake account into buying non-existent merch, tickets, or experiences, the artist not only loses revenue, but suffers a blow to reputation that undermines future sales and engagements,” the report states.

The rise of AI-generated celebrity scams shows how quickly technology can be exploited, making it harder for fans to know who is real online. Artists and platforms now face increasing pressure to protect their audiences from these schemes.

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