McAfee released its annual ‘Most Dangerous Celebrity: Deepfake Deception List’, new consumer research revealing how cybercriminals are using the names and likenesses of famous personalities- right from Indian to Global celebrities to trick people into scams.
This year, Shah Rukh Khan ranks #1 as the most exploited celebrity, followed by Alia Bhatt and Elon Musk, whose names and likenesses Indians report they’ve most frequently seen used in AI-driven deepfakes to promote fake endorsements, giveaways, and drive people toward scam websites, phishing links, or malicious downloads.
McAfee’s research shows 90% of Indians have encountered fake or AI-generated celebrity endorsements, with victims losing an average of ₹34,500 to such scams. 60% have also seen AI-generated or deepfake content featuring influencers or online personalities, not just mainstream celebrities – indicating how rapidly deceptive content is spreading.
With just three seconds of someone’s voice scammers can now create highly convincing deepfakes, often used to mimic celebrity promotions for skincare products (42%), giveaways (41%), and crypto or trading schemes (40%), with fake “must-have” gadgets and supplements.
Top 10 Most Dangerous Celebrities | Deepfake Deception List (2025): India
“Deepfakes have changed the game for cybercriminals; they’re no longer hacking systems — they’re hacking human trust,” said Pratim Mukherjee, Senior Director of Engineering, McAfee. “India’s vibrant celebrity culture and massive online engagement make the threat even more dangerous. Technology can now effortlessly mimic the voices, faces, and mannerisms of people we admire. In a country where millions engage with celebrity and influencer content daily, such fakes can spread instantly. It’s becoming harder to tell what’s real and what’s not — making awareness, caution, and reliable protection tools more critical than ever.”
India is one of the most socially engaged digital populations in the world, with 95% using WhatsApp, 94% on YouTube and 84% on Instagram, is especially vulnerable to scams disguised as celebrity content. McAfee’s findings show that younger users are the most at risk: 62% of those aged 35–44 and 60% of 25–34-year-olds admitted to clicking on fake celebrity ads, compared to 53% among 18–24-year-olds. Scepticism increases with age, as only 46% of 45–54-year-olds and just 17% of those over 65 said they had ever fallen for such scams.
To help consumers fight back, McAfee combines education with AI-powered tools like McAfee’s Deepfake Detector, which analyses text, email, and video content to flag potential fakes – including deepfakes – and phishing attempts before they cause harm. As AI-generated media grows more convincing, these tools give people a way to verify what’s real before they click, share, or buy.
The findings reveal a clear trend: that scammers are exploiting the trust people place in celebrities and influencers. Protecting consumers has never been more critical. Tools like McAfee’s Deepfake Detector help users identify AI-generated videos and manipulated celebrity content before fake endorsements mislead them.
The celebrities on these lists are targets, not perpetrators. Scammers hijack their likenesses and voices, without consent, to exploit the trust people place in familiar faces.
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