Associated Incidents
A Southampton man lost hundreds to a deepfake Jennifer Aniston scam, exposing the rise of AI-driven celebrity fraud.
In the latest of unfortunate deepfake AI scams, Paul Davis, 43, from Southampton, UK, lost hundreds of pounds after scammers pretended to be Jennifer Aniston using AI-generated videos and fake IDs.
The scam was emotionally manipulative, with scammers telling him they "loved" him and sending flirty emojis to build trust.
This case highlights how AI is being weaponized in sophisticated celebrity impersonation scams, affecting vulnerable people.
Critically, the increasing prevalence of AI-powered scams making it harder for victims to recognize fraud
Paul's story - the scam unfolded
Paul, unemployed and dealing with depression, was targeted relentlessly -- dozens of contacts daily from scammers posing as celebrities.
Scammers used AI-generated videos featuring famous faces: Jennifer Aniston, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Ellie Goulding.
Fake driving licenses and doctored selfies of Jennifer Aniston were sent to convince Paul of the scam's legitimacy.
Emotional manipulation was at play here with personal messages calling him "my love" and using emojis designed to trigger feelings of affection and trust.
Pressure tactics were used with scammers saying Aniston's "subscription was about to expire," demanding Apple gift cards worth £200 as "payment."
Paul trusted the videos and images, paid up, and now regrets the loss. He knows others who have lost even larger sums, some over £1,000, highlighting the scale of the problem.
A rising tide of AI scams
The rise of AI technology has made celebrity impersonation scams more common and harder to detect.
Deepfake Jennifer Anniston content has been used before in 2024, as part of a schemed Macbook giveaway on YOutube, which caused a frenzy of awareness on social media communities like Reddit.
Victims often suffer not just financial loss but emotional trauma, especially those vulnerable due to isolation or mental health struggles.
Similar scams have targeted others, including a French woman who lost £700,000 to a fake Brad Pitt asking for cancer treatment money.