A message from your favorite NASCAR driver may not mean what it did a decade ago. Instead of a contest win or a promotional event, it could be an AI-powered scam using their name and image to deceive fans. NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, for one, could not believe what these fraudsters did with his name.
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Martin posted a video along with a bunch of images on his X account, showcasing the work of scammers who were using his voice, images, and fake profiles to dupe people.
“Beware of these frauds out there. They are using AI and FaceTime fakes. These m**** are getting really good. God help us all going forward,” Martin wrote on his X.
The scammers created a fake page called “Mark’Kids Foundation,” which, according to Martin’s screenshot, has more than 200,000 followers on Facebook. They also posted AI-generated images claiming fans could win a brand-new Newell Coach, with Martin supposedly fronting the giveaway.
The fake prizes didn’t stop there. The page also promised a trip to the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, a meet-and-greet with NASCAR drivers, premium hospitality, and more, making the scam look even more alluring. There was even a video showing a chat with voice messages from a bot impersonating Martin’s voice. There was also a picture of Martin below the voice note to make it convincing.
There was also a Mr. Robert Johnson from Mark Martin Management Team assigned to “assist” people. Another AI-generated image of a man holding an ID card, seemingly confirming the same, was shown.
Martin, 67, seemed rattled, going by his post on X. It’s an exciting but equally scary time for people around the world, given how accessible AI tools have become. Voice impersonation, deepfakes, and scams of this magnitude would have required far more work just a couple of decades ago than they do today.
Thankfully, before more people fell for this, Martin took to his X account, which has almost 400k followers, to warn them.
Entity impersonation, however, isn’t that new to the NASCAR community. In August last year, a man from Michigan reportedly transferred $2k to a scammer pretending to be NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger. The man was allegedly offered a chance to have a private dinner, for which the scammer asked for money. He, unfortunately, obliged.
Martin’s warning serves as a reminder that not everything online is what it seems anymore. Fans have to be just as careful about who they’re talking to as they would naturally be excited about the thought of hearing from the country’s most famous drivers.