McAfee’s 2025 Deepfake Deception List Revealed, with Taylor Swift, Victoria and David Beckham, and Claudia Winkleman Among Top UK Targets

• Taylor Swift tops McAfee’s 2025 Deepfake Deception List - this year’s most impersonated celebrity in scams.  
• McAfee introduces its first Influencer Deepfake Deception List, led by Pokimane  
• 7 in 10 Brits have seen fake celebrity or influencer endorsements and over half of 25-34-year-olds (53%) have clicked on one, with 10% losing money.  

UK – McAfee’s Deepfake Deception List exposes the top 10 famous names used by cybercriminals to trick people into falling for scams, fake endorsements, giveaways and deepfakes. In the UK this year, Taylor Swift leads the pack, followed by Emma Watson and Margot Robbie. 

In 2024, Taylor ranked fourth in the UK in McAfee’s celebrity research which focused on online scams more broadly. With this year’s emphasis on the growing threat of deepfakes, the global superstar has surged to the top spot as 2025’s most ‘dangerous’ celebrity. Another notable shift is David Beckham, who has jumped from 10th place to fifth, closely followed by wife, Victoria.   

2025’s Deepfake Deception List: UK  

1. Taylor Swift   
2. Emma Watson   
3. Margot Robbie  
4. Harry Styles  
5. David Beckham  
6. Victoria Beckham  
7. Lewis Hamilton  
8. Charli xcx    
9. Claudia Winkleman  
10. Gordon Ramsay   

Celebrity impersonation scams work because cybercriminals cash in on the trust fans place in their favourite stars - cloning voices, faces and even social posts to sell fake products, push bogus giveaways and run too-good-to-be-true investment or crypto schemes that appear convincing. 

McAfee’s research found that 7 in 10 Brits have experienced fake endorsements like this, with 25-34-year-olds the most exposed age group. Those who were duped lost £450 on average.    

The top five types of deepfake content used to run celebrity-led scams are:   

1. Free giveaways or sweepstakes (31%)  
2. Crypto or other investment or trading platforms (30%)  
3. Weight loss products or supplements (25%)  
4. Skincare or beauty products (24%)  
5. Tech gadgets or “must-have” devices (22%)   

However, celebrities aren’t the only public personalities scammers rely on. Influencers are now central to online culture and scammers know it. To grow awareness of this threat, McAfee launched its first-ever Influencer Deepfake Deception List, with Pokimane, a gaming content creator taking the top spot. 

2025’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Influencers Online: Global  

1. Pokimane  
2. MrBeast  
3. Karina  
4. QTCinderella  
5. Brooke Monk  
6. helydia  
7. Léna Situations  
8. Madison Beer  
9. Cally Jane  
10. Vicky Pattison  

Vonny Gamot, Head of EMEA, at McAfee said: “Our research shows how scammers exploit the influence of celebrity and influencer culture, often with alarming realism, through sophisticated, AI-powered deepfake technology. The solution lies both in tech platforms tightening verification systems and the public developing a healthy digital suspicion. We can’t stop tools from advancing, but we can get smarter about how and whether we trust what we see online. By naming the stars whose names are most often misused, we hope to help fans stay one step ahead of the scammers.” 

Vonny’s Tips to Stay Safe from Fake Celebrity and Influencer Content:   

• Question urgency and emotion – If a video or message from a celebrity or influencer pushes you to act fast – invest now, donate quickly or buy something immediately – it’s a red flag. Scammers rely on emotional pressure to stop you thinking critically.   
• Check the source, not just the face – Don’t trust videos or ads just because they look real. Go directly to the celebrity’s official social media profile or website to see if they’ve shared the same message. If it’s only appearing in paid ads or strange accounts, assume it’s fake.   
• Look for visual and audio ‘glitches’ – Deepfakes can be impressive but not perfect – watch for unnatural blinking, mismatched lighting, distorted mouths, or speech patterns that seem a little off. Even small inconsistencies can reveal manipulation.   
• Don’t click or share straight away – Before engaging with a post or link, pause and check. Run a quick web search for the person’s name plus ‘scam’ or ‘fake video’. If it’s circulating widely, fact-checkers or news outlets often flag it fast.   
• Consider AI-powered protection – There are tools like McAfee’s Scam Detector, which analyse 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 you a way to verify what’s real before you click, share or buy.  

The celebrities and influencers on these lists are targets, not perpetrators. Scammers hijack their likenesses and voices, without consent, to exploit the trust people place in familiar faces.  

ENDS 

Methodology  

Celebrity and Influencer List  

McAfee’s Celebrity Deepfake Deception List and Influencer Deepfake Deception List are based on a weighted scoring system combining three inputs: social activity, search activity, and media reports. Each factor is banded to reduce skew from outliers and rolled into a final score identifying the most ‘dangerous’ celebrities online.  

Consumer Research  

A McAfee survey, which focused on the topic of scams and the impact of these scams on consumers, was conducted online in August 2025. 8,600 adults in Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, and the US and UK, age 18+, participated in the study. Weighted rankings were calculated using a standard points model.    

About McAfee  

McAfee Corp. is a global leader in online protection for consumers. Focused on protecting people in an always-online world, McAfee’s solutions adapt to user needs, empowering individuals and families with secure, intuitive tools. For more information, visit www.mcafee.com.