Deepfake alert: US actor Dwayne Johnson isn’t promoting ‘new way’ to make money on YouTube
No, fake video
We noticed that in the videos, Johnson’s lip movements were not in sync with the audio. This is a sign that the videos may be deepfakes designed to scam unsuspecting users.
A deepfake is a video, image, or audio file that has been altered using artificial intelligence to make it appear as if someone said or did something they haven’t.
A combination of keywords and reverse image searches indicate that the clips were created by altering original footage of Johnson.
The video showing Johnson and a child was first posted on his official Facebook page on 29 July 2025. However, in the original video, he was mostly silent. He was not promoting a new method of earning money on YouTube.
In another video, he was talking about the debut of World Wrestling Entertainment content on the streaming platform Netflix, not YouTube paying viewers.
The videos claim the offer is valid for “five minutes” and urge users to “be quick”. The use of urgency is a major red flag and a common tactic often used by scammers to pressure users.
The circulating videos of Johnson talking about making money from watching YouTube videos have been manipulated.
For more tips on how to stay safe online, read our guide to spotting content generated and manipulated by artificial intelligence.