Beware the latest fake Elon Musk scam.AFP via Getty ImagesElon Musk has been in the news a lot lately. Whether its a massive cyberattack against X, the Musk owned social media platform, ongoing headlines regarding DOGE, or even allegations that Musks X messages are being monitored by homeland security in the U.K., its hard not to be swept up in the Musk media frenzy. And that, dear reader, is precisely what threat actors are working on when they launch scam attacks using Elon Musk as the bait. One such new attack has now been confirmed to be using promises of a 90% saving on electricity bills using a gadget supposedly invented by Musk himself. Heres what you need to know.The Elon Musk Invention That Isnt And The Scam That IsA new threat campaign distributing SMS messages in the U.S. that use a likeness of Elon Musk, alongside claims that he has invented a gizmo that can save 90% of your electricity bill just by plugging it in, has been confirmed. The personalized messages direct victims to fake websites having used a fake Elon Musk endorsement to convince them that the incredulous-sounding gadget really is the answer to their power bill payment problems. Bizarrely, the gadget itself really does exist, but obviously doesnt work as described. The stinger being that the scammers are selling a cheap Chinese product worth a few dollars for significantly more, and throwing in some malware for good measure.According to researchers at Bitdefender, the ongoing malicious campaign has already sent thousands of SMS messages to targets in the U.S. that are personalised to the extent that they use the recipients real name for added authenticity. So far, so meh. After all, phishing scams are nothing new. This one, however, has a twist. Besides traditional phishing and malware, theres a third option, Silviu Stahie, a security analyst at Bitdefender, said. That third option, Stacie continued, is directing victims to website that appears to be a media article with Musk promoting the supposed miracle device that it is claimed he invented.A fake Elon Musk endorsement used in the scam.BitdefenderHow To Spot The Fake Elon Musk Power Prices Phishing ScamBitdefender said that the Elon Musk electricity savings scam can be spotted by the use of SMS messages that are always sent from within the U.S. and contain text that mentions the payment, overpayment or savings in relation to electricity bills. The security experts also warned that the phishing links in these messages are associated with domains including esavrr, gimelove and eaelon dot com.Bitdefender warned everyone not to click on any links in unsolicited messages claiming to provide energy-saving tips, to verify any such claims directly with your energy provider and to report all suspicious messages to your phone carrier and law enforcement. And remember, Elon Musk hasnt invented an energy saving plug-in gizmo, no matter how much youd like to believe he has.