Steve Wozniak Sues YouTube Over Twitter-Like Bitcoin Scam

[plvbob0070]

There's been a lot of recent issues regarding scam giveaways in big popular platforms as well as using famous personalities in such activities. That's why I think YouTube also needs to step up with strict policies and take actions to prevent scam giveaways spread in their platform. They can put ads regarding these activities to warn people on YouTube if they can't stop people from doing fake giveaways.

It's understandable why Steve Wozniak wants to sue YouTube because scammers are using his name to deceive people... However, people also have their responsibility for sending money to others and believing somebody will double it for them.

[studio1one]

Finally, someone taking a stand against youtube and their greed. Hopefully, more and more celebrities will start doing the same. In the meantime, if you are frustrated of seeing those ads you can start using brave browsers 'coz they can bypass the youtube ads.

[sayulita]

There's been a lot of recent issues regarding scam giveaways in big popular platforms as well as using famous personalities in such activities. That's why I think YouTube also needs to step up with strict policies and take actions to prevent scam giveaways spread in their platform. They can put ads regarding these activities to warn people on YouTube if they can't stop people from doing fake giveaways.

It's understandable why Steve Wozniak wants to sue YouTube because scammers are using his name to deceive people... However, people also have their responsibility for sending money to others and believing somebody will double it for them.

Recently I have also seen a lot of big youtubers getting hacked and then their accounts making live streams of bitcoin giveaways and scamming people. This needs to be stopped and I have reported those streams many a times. This is making the image of cryptocurrency community bad in eyes of the world and recently one friend of mine said that the cryptocurrency people are mostly hackers after the recent news of twitter scam and now YouTube being ignorant to these scam channels and streams. But if they won't be able to stop these kind of streams then probably they will have a platform-wide ban on cryptocurrency related channels which won't be good at all.

[Kakmakr]

Looks like "Woz" is in financial trouble.    None of the other celebrities who's Twitter accounts got hacked or who was used in Youtube for these scams, sued these platforms... but he does that. 

You cannot blame the tool for these hacks or scams... blame the stupid/greedy people who fell for these scams.    Let's all sue the telephone companies every time a scammer picks up the telephone to scam you over the phone... see how long they would be able to  stay in business if all of us do that. 

[rexxarofmoknathal]

Steve Wozniak Sues YouTube Over Twitter-Like Bitcoin Scam

Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak says YouTube has for months allowed scammers to use his name and likeness as part of a phony bitcoin giveaway similar to the one that was quickly extinguished by Twitter Inc. last week.

Scammers used images and video of Wozniak, who left Apple in 1985, to convince YouTube users that he was hosting a live giveaway and anyone who sent him bitcoins will get double the number back, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in state court in San Mateo County, California. “But when users transfer their cryptocurrency, in an irreversible transaction, they receive nothing back.”

The scam also uses the names and images of other tech celebrities, including Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, according to the suit.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-23/steve-wozniak-sues-youtube-over-twitter-like-bitcoin-scam

Steve W. is not the first high profile personalities that sue Youtube over this scam. Brad Garlinghouse of XRP, https://fortune.com/2020/04/21/ripple-sues-youtube-scam-videos-crypto-garlinghouse/.

I think Youtube should step up and better police their service with this rampant fake giveaways promoted on their platform. It's about time, specially on what had happen to Twitter in recent days.

These new waves of fake giveaways are so prominent that even large companies like Youtube can't track it properly - and it just goes to show how hard policing this is. Bottom line is that these scam accusations aren't benefiting anybody, it looks bad for any parties involved.

This can eventually with better policing be better controlled but not made absolute, and this is the morale of these stories. We can do our best to prevent scams from happening but at the same time we need to understand that the risks of them happening can't be 100% eradicated.

[Zionatin]

They use bitcoin because of its trending. On Instagram, they still sometimes show those scam ads. The thing I do not understand is that its the same age-old ad. It's like a scammer pack. The scammer just sads what niche to use and then everything is the same. I have seen lottery winnings, magical investment companies that grow money on trees, buying bitcoin that magically gains you fiat, casino winnings. Basically any "excuse" as to where the winnings came from. It never makes sense so it meant to attract the type of people who would fall for it. Only someone who would fall for the ad would believe it. Anyone else can see it makes no sense.

[Wawa2013]

Sometimes I get confused with Youtube why the response related to video scams is relatively slower compared to videos related
to political issues.This made me a little disappointed, because based on the articles I read on the internet. The number of video
scams victims is very large, I was very happy when Steve Wozniak decided on sues YouTube. So this can be a lesson for Youtube
for fast responds related video scams.

[Fundamentals Of]

It seems the users are now the ones trying to make ways to keep the rest from falling victim to countless scam giveaways. This is not unique to Vitalik Buterin as far as I know. I have seen other official accounts of top crypto personalities and crypto projects giving reminders that they are not actually giving away coins.

This kind of scam is not just found on Youtube. It is everywhere online. Youtube, social media sites, Google, etc should start taking this problem very seriously now. Large amounts of money must have been stolen due to these scams. It is just right that there should be a legal action.  

Most don't bother because people still fall for them even after warning them. But those sites with verified tags are more convincing because of the trust factor.

Using the same Vitalik example above, if a hacked verified account impersonates him, no doubt at least a handful would still fall victim, even with another handle, let's say @VitaIikButerin.

Even if the scams are very stupid by design or have few victims only, it is never an excuse for the admins to be indifferent and not remove or block them. Even if the accounts used for scamming are bogus or are not the official accounts of the owners obtained by the scammers through a brilliant hack, it is still not an excuse for the admins not to act against these scumbags.  

[Yaunfitda]

Giveaway ads on YouTube has not stopped and people are still fallen for it. This mean one thing, YouTube don't review well the ads before it is being accepted. It is a bad news for YouTube because they are being careless and make people lose money recklessly. Who would have thought ads on YouTube are published by scammers.

Yeah, notice that scammers shift to getting ads as well on Youtube, it's not that they are careless, it seems that they are really turning their backs and as if allowing these scammers to get into their platform to victimized many more victims. If there is another competition, I'm sure that Youtube will going to react fast and swift. But since there are none, they don't give a shit and let these criminals enjoy and have fun cashing their loot.

[Jating]

Sometimes I get confused with Youtube why the response related to video scams is relatively slower compared to videos related
to political issues.This made me a little disappointed, because based on the articles I read on the internet. The number of video
scams victims is very large, I was very happy when Steve Wozniak decided on sues YouTube. So this can be a lesson for Youtube
for fast responds related video scams.

Even doing live streams, they usually take it down, that is if it violated their ToS. But clearly with the rampant scams and ads on their backyard, it's about time that they clean up and it's really good to see that someone like Steve on sue them for not doing their part here.

And on the part of content creator, you need to be careful as well as hackers are targeting those channels that has a lot of subscribers. So learn to protect your account as well, enable 2FA, update your password with a strong one or even change a new email address for insurance.

[anoufal]

Scammers are everywhere. Each of you should know this. Remember this when you are offered too favorable terms. When you visit a suspicious site. When your password is not secure enough.

[vaultman]

How naive does one have to be to be deceived by such a simple way of cheating? But he did the right thing to sue. If everyone did that, the internet would be much cleaner.

[Velkro]

Steve Wozniak Sues YouTube Over Twitter-Like Bitcoin Scam

Not suprised here. His name was tarnished by scammers that when you want report them its very hard or impossible.
Google in general so youtube and other services are really hard to work with with anything except using them.
You want something more? Report or contact? Virtually impossible especially second option.