Associated Incidents
In a bizarre incident, a British man was duped out of hundreds of pounds by scammers impersonating Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston. The fraudsters befriended Paul Davis (43) on Facebook and used flirty emojis and doctored selfies of the actor to gain his trust. They even sent him AI-generated content to convince him that Aniston was asking for Apple gift cards.
Deception details
How the scam worked
The scammers told the victim that Aniston's subscription was almost over and asked him to send Apple gift cards that were non-refundable. To further convince him, they sent an image of Aniston's driving license and audio clips. "I believed it - and I paid," Davis told The Sun. After having lost around $270, he expressed concern over such scams becoming increasingly common with advancements in AI technology.
Scam details
Victim reveals he has been targeted by similar scams before
Davis revealed that he has been targeted by scammers who prey on vulnerable individuals. He said, "They send AI-generated videos of celebrities which look extremely real." "It's been going on for five months," he added. In one instance, he was told he had won a special prize from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who even appeared on screen and showed an ID card to prove his identity.
Victim's statement
Similar scams have happened with other people
Despite having seen other fake videos of celebrities, Davis fell for the Aniston impersonation. "I got bitten. Once bitten, twice shy." He also revealed that someone he knows actually lost over a grand in Apple gift cards to these scams. Scams of this kind are becoming increasingly common. A woman in France was reportedly swindled out of £7,00,000 by a person who posed as Brad Pitt and asked for money for cancer treatment.