Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter Impersonators Scam Fans Out of $5.3 Billion in 2025: Report

Hackers impersonating celebrities like Taylor Swift and her team contributed to fleecing fans for $5.3 billion online in 2025, as AI has made online scams more successful, according to a report from social media security company Spikerz.

In August, hackers simultaneously took over the Instagram accounts of artists including Adele, Future, the late Michael Jackson, Tyla and Pink Floyd for a cryptocurrency scam that fleeced fans of at least $49,000. Hackers impersonating Johnny Depp, his team and his voice online scammed one fan out of $350,000 and hundreds of others to ultimately get away with millions, according to a Gizmodo report that looked at complaints made to the Federal Trade Commission.  

While scammers target all public figures, they are increasingly focused on musicians and the music industry because of the trust and fandom they build online, with Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish being the most targeted artists in 2025, according to the report. Artist managers rely on social platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X to market tours, albums and engage fans, and those platforms “are being turned into high-risk entry points for fraud and brand damage.”

“Social platforms have become the most important connection point between artists and their audiences, and therefore, the most vulnerable,” says Scott Cohen, The Orchard co-founder and advisor to Spikerz, which authored the report. “If we want artists to innovate and experiment, we have to give them digital environments where they’re not constantly under attack.”

The report found that scammers target Swifties with convincing fake tickets, merch and VIP experiences, while Carpenters’ young fanbase is targeted by clone accounts offering “fake meet-and-greet offers, pre-sale links, and counterfeit merch drops.” Billie Eilish hackers have run fake livestreams or giveaways that mimic her image.

Other artists frequently targeted by impersonation scams include BTS, Adele, Ed Sheeran and BLACKPINK, according to the report.

“When fans are duped by a fake account into buying non-existent merch, tickets, or experiences, the artist not only loses revenue, but suffers a blow to reputation that undermines future sales and engagement,” the report states. “The resulting brand damage can reduce the value of sponsorships, collaborations, and label partnerships.”

One in five concert tickets sold over social media was fake, part of a phishing attack or from a seller who later disappeared, the report found.

But the damage to artists and fans is not just financial. Hackers also frequently use access to post damaging comments or release sensitive photos or information, as hackers who breached A$AP Rocky’s X account did in May, or they flood an artist’s socials with spam comments designed to divert attention or fans.

Isreal-based Spikerz provides social media security for celebrities including musicians and their record labels for fees typically ranging between $15,000 and $35,000 a year.

In one client example, Spikerz CEO Naveh Ben Dror says the company helped a Grammy-winning pop rock band remove spammy comments that flooded comment sections with Spanish food recipes by creating a filter to remove existing comments and prevent new ones using AI.

Dror says he thinks “the artists who win the next decade won’t just be the ones with the best music or the most viral campaigns. They’ll be the ones whose teams can make sure fans can trust every link, every handle, and every announcement with the artist’s name on it.”