My mother fell in love with an A-list celebrity she met online - the video is so convincing she refuses to believe it's fake

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

A woman has reached out for help after discovering her mother might be falling head over heels for a fake Owen Wilson.
The unnamed woman shared her concerns on US forum Reddit, along with an alleged video of the Hollywood star, 56, telling her mum she is an 'amazing woman'.
The poster said she tried to convince her mum that it was the workings of artificial intelligence after finding a 'plethora of red flags' such as the man mainly contacting her mother via WhatsApp voice calls.
But she explained that things turned eerie when the the alleged imposter 'got her [mother] a job with Warner Brothers' and sent her sporadic $10 salary payments.
The 'fake' Owen Wilson then proposed that the poster's parents move into a new house he bought so that they could keep watch as 'caretakers' while he was away working.
In the 10-second video, the near-robotic image of a man resembling Owen Wilson seemingly spoke directly to the poster's mother.
'I'm making this video so you know I'm real' said the 'scam' actor.
'I'd never do anything to hurt you. I respect you for your patience and understanding since we crossed paths. You're an amazing woman'.
In the clip, the purported Wedding Crashers actor - who in real life is busy shooting his latest action thriller Runner in Australia as of last week - appeared to be the result of sophisticated computer graphics; most notably given away by static eye movements and a grainy facial complexion.
The woman said her and her sister had tried tirelessly to inform their mom it was a grand 'scam' but lamented that 'she's just not hearing us'.
After reading her plight, many users agreed that it was indeed a hoax, with one person shockingly advising the siblings to create their own AI Owen Wilson and siphon money from her to prove it.
'My sister and I have been telling her it's a scam but she's just not hearing us' she bemoaned.
According to her mother, the odd pairing came about after a chance meeting at Yahtzee - a dice game - with some friends.
Though the exact location was withheld, the poster said the man claimed to have mistaken her mother for someone he knew in 'real life' when he saw her at the dice game.
She then explained that the two only spoke by WhatsApp, voice calls and FaceTime, which installed doubts over the genuinity of their relations.
'Originally he just sent photos directly from a fan account on social media. NOTHING that we couldn't find on the internet. She says he hasn't asked for money or banking info' she continued.
The entire scheme appeared complex to the poster after the purported actor began sending her mother money, rather than the other way around.
'He 'got her a job' with Warner Bros. where she can make $5000 a month by liking social media posts' she revealed.
'The job has sent her a couple $10 payments through Cash App for her first trainings. She says they'll send her $1,000 through Cash App when she finishes training'.
Things took an even more shocking turn when according to the poster, the 'scammer' asked both her mom and dad to move into a home he claimed to have just purchased.
'He's now buying a house in our small coastal town and wants her AND MY DAD to live there and be caretakers when he's not there. He had an actual realtor from this gated community call her to discuss their options.
'We believe this part because the realtor mentioned my sister in law's mother's uncommon name (we have no connection to her on social media) when my mother brought up my brother's wedding reception being held in the neighborhood.
In the clip, the purported Wedding Crashers actor appeared to be the result of sophisticated computer graphics; most notably given away by static eye movements and a grainy facial complexion
'And he sent the video attached as 'proof''.
She concluded her post by asking fellow users for advice 'to definitively prove to her [mom] this is a scam'.
One viewer immediately noticed the actor's 'robotic' nature, writing: 'Wow that's scary, you can tell the tone is off and robotic. Face also looks slightly different than Owen but wow that's crazy for someone who wouldn't know any better'.
'His nose and eyes are also... not human lol' chimed another.
'Tell her to watch his nose lol' said one person.
After reading her plight, many users agreed that it was indeed a hoax, with one person shockingly advising the siblings to create their own AI Owen Wilson and siphon money from her to prove it
Noticing other 'red flags', someone else wrote: 'This AI doesn't even use the lady's name at all, just generic 'compliments' to keep the target complacent. Wonder how many targets they've sent this to that the celebrity 'really' loves them. Don't trust online, meet in real life and then judge based on that meeting'.
Another said jokingly, 'You can tell it's fake because that's three sentences without a "wow". His [Owen Wilson's] average is one wow per two sentences'.
On the subject of advice, one user advised the siblings to scam their own mom so they could prove how easy it was.
'Get a video of her' they wrote. 'Use AI to make a video of her telling herself it's a scam. Alternatively use AI to fake Owen Wilson and scam her out of her money first and save it for her'.
Another user offered a tip so they could finally have some 'peace': 'My two cents: Go into her devices, block everyone, create new accounts, new telephone number, create a video from Owen Wilson explaining that he has to go fight in Afghanistan or something, you should get a few months of peace'.
'Get a list people she admires and have it run through the same software, having them say the exact same thing and show it to her' suggested one person.
Meanwhile one user told the poster to 'Make an AI deep fake of him breaking up with her'.