MrBeast hits out at “fake” YouTube ads using his identity

YouTube star MrBeast is lashing out at “fake” ads using his likeness on YouTube, claiming that he’s reached out to the platform to fix the issue with no results.

Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson is one of the biggest YouTubers in the space right now.

Boasting over 96 million subscribers on his main channel alone, the influencer has become best known for big-budget projects like his viral ‘Squid Games’ recreation and his real-life rendition of Willy Wonka’s fictitious chocolate factory.

Considering his status as a top-tier social media star, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that he’s garnered a few copycats throughout his career… but some of these imitators are less than flattering.

A quick scroll through the YouTube app will occasionally show an advertisement claiming to be from MrBeast, offering a random amount of money to potential lucky winners. It seems too good to be true — and that’s because it is.

• Read More: Fans think MrBeast copied viral toilet cake idea from TikToker

Although the YouTuber has created a few advertisements of his own in the past (one of which got rejected from television), these random “giveaway” ads are not from him, and are a possible scam.

MrBeast slams “scam” ads on YouTube

Donaldson called out these false ads in a heated tweet on June 7, in response to a meme from Tesla CEO Elon Musk slamming YouTube’s alleged inaction over “scam ads.”

• Read More: MrBeast reveals new charity project with donations from philanthropy channel

“I’ve gotten fake ads of me giving away money at least a thousand times and feel bad for the hundreds of thousands of people that have been scammed,” the YouTuber wrote. “I’ve been screaming at them for forever to figure this out.”

This isn’t the first time MrBeast has pointed out a major issue on YouTube; last month, the influencer called out “literal trash” accounts for using his image as their profile picture to make hurtful and harassing comments toward other YouTubers.

While it’s unclear if YouTube will take any action against either these commenters or the “scam ads,” it looks like one of the biggest personalities on the site is fed up with them — and so is Musk, who’s also poised to buy Twitter in a groundbreaking purchase.