Associated Incidents
Though it seems like Taylor Swift is everywhere --- she was named the 2023 Time Magazine Person of the Year, after all --- one place we didn't expect to see her name was touting a new collection of cookware.
Fake advertisements using AI technology began surfacing on social media platforms last week, with the singer's likeness telling fans she was working with the famed cookware brand, Le Creuset, to give away Dutch ovens.
"Hey y'all, it's Taylor Swift here. Due to a packaging error, we can't sell 3,000 Le Creuset cookware sets. So I'm giving them away to my loyal fans for free," the fake Swift says in one of the Facebook advertisements, which then prompts viewers to begin a questionnaire and pay for shipping.
After becoming aware of the scam, Meta removed the advertisement and Le Creuset confirmed that the ads were fake.
"Le Creuset is not involved with Taylor Swift for any consumer giveaway," Le Creuset told NBC. "All approved Le Creuset giveaways or promotions come from the official Le Creuset social accounts. Consumers should always check Le Creuset's official social accounts and website before clicking on any suspicious ads."
Le Creuset Dutch ovens range in price depending on size and color, but the more expensive models can go for upwards of $700.
Swift is not the first celebrity in recent months to have their likeness used for a false advertisement.
In October, actor Tom Hanks took to Instagram to warn fans and followers about a fake dental plan advertisement that was using his image and likeness as part of the promotion.
"BEWARE!! There's a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it," he wrote at the time.
Also in October, mega-influencer Mr. Beast slammed AI deepfakes after his likeness was used for a sham contest encouraging fans to donate to win an iPhone.