Deepfake Disaster: Fraudsters Hijack Ripple’s Brand to Push XRP Airdrop Scam

Fake Ripple accounts are flooding social media with AI-generated videos of ’executives’ promising free XRP—classic crypto grift meets cutting-edge deception.

How it works: Scammers use deepfake tech to impersonate Ripple leadership, luring victims with ’limited-time’ airdrops that drain wallets instead of filling them. The videos look legit—until you spot the CEO blinking in Morse code (just kidding, but barely).

Why it matters: This isn’t your grandma’s phishing email. These fraudsters are weaponizing generative AI to exploit crypto’s favorite word—’free’—while Wall Street still thinks blockchain is a type of ski binding.

Don’t Fall for the XRP Airdrop Scam

Social media scams are very prominent in the crypto industry, and advances in AI video generation are only making the problem worse.

Over the last few days, verified X accounts have been circulating rumors of an XRP airdrop, featuring an AI-generated video of Brad Garlinghouse to appear more convincing. With XRP making headlines today, the dangers are very clear.

The content of these scams has remained fairly consistent. A verified X account with a gold checkmark of authenticity WOULD post a “notice” about the alleged XRP airdrop.

These accounts would all be named “Ripple News,” even if their handle had nothing to do with the company.

As BeInCrypto observed, some of these fraudulent accounts had nearly 100,000 followers.

Users would see these posts as ads, and each would have supportive comments from other bots. They would include both information about “claiming” the bonus airdrop and feedback showing alleged XRP wallets. However, this would only be a ploy to steal information and funds.

These XRP airdrop scams have been going on for weeks since the SEC v Ripple lawsuit ended in a settlement. XRP futures trading and ETF buzz may give these bad actors a chance to hook new potential targets.

Ripple’s fan community is cresting on the excitement, but overeager users must remain vigilant. Otherwise, they might lose their portfolios.

Meanwhile, X admins have removed many offending posts. For example, crypto scam hunters posted a list of illicit verified accounts last week. Since this list came out, all the targets have either been suspended or deleted all the offending posts.

Check out what these accounts have in common! Remember that Gold checkmark account we flagged last week? When I click this link look where it takes me to the post I just shared..

**I’ll be sharing my findings below as I dig deeper** https://t.co/l8pHf7v1pS pic.twitter.com/W4O5ceDdGz

In other words, XRP airdrop scammers can get verified on X, which is highly concerning. Deepfake crypto scams on social media have been a major concern in recent times.

Back in October 2024, a user lost nearly $46 million in such a scam. In Q1 2025 alone, deepfake crypto scams stole over $200 million from users.

Therefore, it’s critical for users to assess ‘reward’ or airdrop schemes thoroughly. A little vigilance can go a long way.