AI Keanu Reeves Reportedly Scammed Woman Out of $160K
Word of advice: if Keanu Reeves hits you up online, be very, very suspicious.
That's a lesson a Florida woman unfortunately learned the hard way. In an interview with Fox 13 in Tampa Bay, Dianne Ringstaff shared that the grift began when she was innocently playing Words With Friends. Out of nowhere, she received a message from the John Wick star—or at least someone claiming to be him.
Ringstaff was understandably skeptical. Her initial reaction to the unsolicited message was that 'It can't be' Reeves, she told Fox 13. 'Until he videoed me,' she explained. 'And I was like, oh my God, that's him!'"I couldn't believe it,' Ringstaff continued. 'It was him, but it was far away. But I thought it was him."
While she still felt the whole scenario was a bit implausible, that video call and a series of phone calls over a two-and-a-half year period eventually convinced Ringstaff that she was indeed talking to The Matrix star himself.
The two became phone friends and would chat here and there. This was the case for a long time before things took a scammy turn. But when they did, the Not Reeves' requests for cash became persistent.
The person posing as Reeves claimed that he was being sued by a former manager and that he was facing a potential legal headache after the FBI allegedly planted drugs in his home. Bottom line, claimed the grifter, his assets had been frozen and he was in desperate need of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.Ringstaff says she did press a bit further: 'I said, but why don't you have a bank account?' Whatever the answer, it was enough to convince her to help.
'I was vulnerable,' she said. 'I just lost my boyfriend. And then later that summer in 2022, my dog died.' So she decided to help—which entailed taking out a home equity loan and selling her car. All in all, she estimates that the perpetrator, who is believed to be using AI to pose as Reeves, collected approximately $160,000 from her.
Just a month ago, local sheriffs came knocking at Ringstaff's door to let her know that she wasn't the only person being scammed—and that some of the other victims' money was actually being funneled through her bank accounts.
'I just broke down and cried,' admitted Ringstaff. Until she decided to take back control.
'I'm by myself,' she said. 'I didn't have anybody to talk to, to give me guidance. So then I got mad, and I started getting my things together, and now I'm on track to get back on track.'
Ringstaff is also bravely speaking out and telling her story in order to prevent others from falling into the same trap. According to Fox 13, these so-called 'romance' scams are one of the most common types of fraud being perpetrated right now. And the easy availability of AI makes it possible for determined fraudsters to impersonate just about anyone, including one of the world's most popular action stars.
'Knowing what I know now and all the technology that's out there, [people] can fake voices and everything else,' Ringstaff warned. 'It will never happen again. But I just want to let people know not to be naive and stupid and do your research and don't give anybody your personal information unless you already know them.'
AI Keanu Reeves Reportedly Scammed Woman Out of $160K first appeared on Men's Journal on May 26, 2025
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