On Friday, hackers took over the official YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India, deleting all previous videos and using the platform to promote a fraudulent Ripple (XRP) investment scheme. The attackers exploited deepfakes of Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse to give the scam an appearance of legitimacy. This incident adds to the growing number of Ripple and XRP-related scams that have surfaced recently.
Supreme Court’s YouTube Channel Compromised
According to a report by ANI on September 20, the hackers rebranded the channel as **Ripple** and pushed a fake XRP investment scheme. In response, **YouTube removed the compromised account**, citing violations of its platform guidelines. The Supreme Court later issued a statement acknowledging the breach and assuring that services on their YouTube channel would be restored soon.
Surge in Ripple and XRP Scams
Ripple has previously warned the public about phishing links and the increasing use of deepfakes in scam videos. CEO Brad Garlinghouse emphasized the trend of scammers manipulating past Ripple events and creating fake videos to deceive investors.
Ripple has taken legal action against YouTube in the past, accusing the platform of failing to prevent XRP-related scams. While it remains uncertain whether Ripple will pursue further legal action this time, the frequency of these scams has risen, especially following Ripple’s favorable outcome in its legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Although XRP has been ruled as not a security, Ripple still faces a $125 million penalty.
This incident highlights the ongoing threat of cryptocurrency scams and underscores the need for vigilance among investors.
