@TeamYouTube@YouTubeIndia@YouTubeCreators@YTCreatorsIndia
Subject - My YouTube channel is demonetized with a ₹5 lakh negative balance due to a Superchat scam, and it’s happening to other creators too.
I am writing to report a serious issue that is affecting multiple creators in India, including myself. Scammers are exploiting the Superchat feature by using stolen credit cards to send large amounts to YouTube streamers. On the surface, these appear to be genuine donations from enthusiastic viewers — often accompanied by friendly messages and active participation in chat — so creators have no reason to suspect anything.
In my case, a viewer began sending me large Superchat donations during my live streams, totaling several lakhs INR over time. They interacted in my chat under a regular username and acted like a legitimate supporter. I had no prior relationship or communication with them outside of YouTube, and I genuinely believed they were a real fan supporting my work.
Weeks later, I noticed my AdSense account suddenly showed a massive negative balance of around ₹5,00,000. Shortly after, I was notified that my channel was demonetized due to “invalid payment activity.” I later learned that the donations were funded with stolen cards. When the fraudulent transactions were reversed, YouTube charged the amount back to my account.
This has left me — and other affected creators — in a devastating position:
We lose our entire revenue.
We are left with huge negative balances we never earned in the first place.
Our monetization is removed, ending our ability to earn from future content.
I want to emphasize that I never had any agreement with the sender, and never knew they were fraudulent. I was simply a live streamer receiving what I thought was genuine viewer support. The scammer is the one committing the fraud — but the system is set up in a way that punishes creators instead of targeting the actual scammer.
I have recently learned that this same scam has happened to several other Indian creators, especially streamers. The pattern is identical: a scammer uses stolen payment methods to send big Superchats, gains attention in chat, and later the creator is hit with a negative balance and demonetization. I request that
@TeamYouTube@YouTubeIndia@YouTubeCreators@YTCreatorsIndia
Investigate such cases where creators can show clear evidence of having no involvement in the fraud. Reverse penalties for innocent creators and restore monetization. We love YouTube and are committed to building our channels here, but right now this loophole is destroying honest creators. Please review this issue and take urgent steps to ensure creators are not punished for crimes committed by others.
My Channel Link - https://t.co/Un5d1F1zYo
My Channel Name - Maze xD