Discord is a chat app tailored to gamers that enables users to organize themselves into servers. While using Discord is free, its developers make money through selling merchandise like stickers and sound packs. One Discord user named mourningassasin sold fake Frank Ocean tracks to fans in early April for approximately $13,000 CAD, according to reports. How It Worked Frank Ocean is one of today's most reclusive musicians, yet his fans remain eager for new material from him. Unfortunately, one Discord user took advantage of that hunger to perpetrate a scam targeting Frank's fanbase by selling fake AI-generated songs that purport to have leaked onto the market. VICE refers to this person who sold fake tracks as a "franken-Ocean." According to reports, they created a Discord community where fans of R&B star sold his songs for around $2,000-$3,000 each to collectors of rare music. From reviewing messages and forums in Discord as well as interviews conducted with victims it became evident that nearly all of this music was indeed fake and not recorded by singer. As part of their scheme to establish trust with their target, this scammer allegedly shared one unreleased song before offering up their entire collection for sale. With more AI-generated music hitting stores every day, fans find it increasingly hard to differentiate real tracks from fake ones - which creates problems for all involved parties involved in this transaction. The Scammer Discord has quickly become one of the go-to platforms for gamers looking for ways to earn extra income online. Users can make use of its in-game currency to make contributions and participate in various activities within its community, as well as sell merchandise related to Discord for profit; its revenue largely stems from these sales but there are also advertising opportunities on its website. mourningassasin told Motherboard they made around $13,000 CAD ($9,600 USD) by peddling fake Frank Ocean tracks they claimed had leaked. According to reports, Mourningassasin hired a musician who used "very high quality vocal snippets" of Ocean's voice when creating nine fake tracks using this model and posting them onto an official Frank Ocean forum and encouraging fans to listen. Administrators quickly noticed that mourningassasin's music wasn't Frank Ocean originals, prompting them to call him out on it. Unfortunately, when confronted by them he admitted they were computer generated tracks he regretted misleading fans with, but administrators immediately banned him from several forums. Ocean is one of the world's most-wanted artists despite his reclusive lifestyle. Fans are constantly craving new projects from him; some even search for illegally released material online in hopes that it might surface - unfortunately a scammer took advantage of this and tricked fans into purchasing fake AI-generated tracks instead. Fake tracks were uploaded to SoundCloud but quickly removed due to claims of copyright infringement. Not only was this theft committed against other artists; the scammer may have also violated Discord's terms of service by breaching their anti-spam policy - discord has stated in a statement that such behavior "puts a major dent in our server's credibility, leading to distrust from new and unverified sellers within these communities. Discord has stated they are currently conducting an investigation against this user." Legal Issues Frank Ocean fans have been in an uproar since his divisive Coachella headliner set earlier this month, seeking out any clues of new music on its way. Unfortunately, that fervor could prove short-lived. An anonymous Discord user allegedly duped fans into purchasing fake AI-generated Frank Ocean tracks worth over $13,000 (CAD). mourningassasin reportedly created several songs using an AI program that mimicked Ocean's vocal style and tone, then distributed them online fan communities and forums - such as an official Frank Ocean Discord server where one administrator, Gamma, stated mourningassasin offered each track for sale at $3,000-$4,000 each. When users began questioning its legitimacy, mourningassasin eventually admitted they were fake and only released them to make money off them. After Gamma shared this story with Motherboard, mourningassasin was banned from several fan communities online such as Discord servers. Additionally, their online store where they were selling fake tracks was closed down. Legal experts warn of the perils associated with such schemes. Lurking consumers into purchasing fake songs claiming to belong to specific artists could be illegal depending on your jurisdiction, while AI-generated music that mimics voices and styles from anyone is becoming increasingly realistic, making it harder even for die-hard fans to determine whether an album or track is authentic or not. The fake Frank Ocean tracks highlight the legal ramifications of emerging technologies like FakeTunes. FakeTunes have already been used to create false recordings that appear to belong to Drake, Lil Uzi Vert and Post Malone; further down the road it could create hit after hit without oversight or regulation that may harm artists and their profits. Discord's easy accessibility for these activities doesn't help matters, and legal experts agree that without more regulations being introduced into place. AI music legal issues have only just begun surfacing; more high-profile cases such as these could arise in years ahead. Conclusions Frank Ocean has amassed a loyal fan base who are hungry for new music from him, yet his relative absence from public view has caused some fans to become suspicious of his silences and suspicious silences from him. A Discord user took advantage of that, scamming fans out of thousands by selling fake AI-generated tracks purporting to be unreleased Frank Ocean songs. Motherboard reports that a fraudster known only as "mourningassasin" on the platform offered fake Ocean songs to Discord servers and online collector's markets for anywhere between $3,000 and $4,000. He claimed he sold around $13,000 CAD worth of fakes. mourningassasin admitted to pushing out fake music, but blamed his victims of his scam on the platform for compelling him to do it. Gamma, owner of Frank Ocean Discord server and witness to this ordeal, noted that it has caused damage to credibility within their community as fans will likely distrust any future sellers they encounter in future transactions. Discord is a free-to-use chat app popular among gamers and others alike who utilize its services to form "servers" dedicated to topics or interests they share, while developers can self-publish games through its platform; as part of this agreement, Discord takes 90% revenue share while giving 10% back for operational costs. Furthermore, Discord makes money through selling merchandise related to games or characters they love through merchandise sales that reflect them all.