Man conned by deepfake of Jennifer Aniston reveals he was 'relentlessly' targeted by AI-generated videos
Paul Davis, 43, from Southampton, England, who unemployed man and suffers from depression, said he was 'relentlessly' targeted by AI-generated videos – including ones that featured Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and even the iconic Friends star.
Davis said he was sent an image of what looked like Jennifer Aniston's driving license before she told him she loved him and asked for money. Sadly, he believed the message was real and sent the money in the form of non-refundable Apple gift cards.
He said: 'I've got fake videos from Jennifer Aniston asking me for £200 ($274) and saying she loves me. I've paid and I was bitten. Once bitten, twice shy.'
The scam is part of a worrying online trend, where advanced AI technology is used to create convincing fake videos of celebrities, designed to con victims into handing over cash or personal details.
Paul said he'd been receiving dozens of messages every day, with scammers trying to fool him into thinking he's won a 'special prize', from cash to a luxury Range Rover.
Some of the videos even feature AI versions of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg saying: 'This is not a scam, believe me,' insisting he's a 'genuine person'.
The fake messages are often accompanied by doctored certificates or phony ID cards.
Davis went on: 'It's been going on for about five months. I thought people would get into trouble for this, but these people seem to be having a laugh and getting away with it.
'Someone I know has spent over a grand on Apple gift cards for scammers.'
Struggling with his mental health and unable to work, he said the the scams were taking a toll on him.
'I can't keep taking that sort of hit,' he added.
Conversations: Messages between Paul and Jennifer Aniston
Deepfake: Davis has also received scam messages from an AI version of Elon Musk, claiming he has won $500K
Dr Jennifer Williams, an AI expert at the University of Southampton said that this is a classic phishing scam, but with a terrifyingly modern twist.
She said: 'The scammer would input details like the victim's name (obtained from various sources) into an AI model to generate the image, refining it until it appears convincing.
'The goal is to get the victim's home address under the guise of 'delivering' prizes like a car or a non-existent Facebook Mastercard.'
Once a relationship is established, scammers often request victims to purchase gift cards – and then send them the codes.
Dr Williams warned people to stay vigilant and watch for telltale signs such as odd phrasing, highly pixelated images, and suspicious wording like 'don't be afraid' – all designed to provoke an emotional response.
She also said to be wary of different pixelation patterns around names, which can indicate they were digitally altered.
And perhaps, most importantly, Facebook does not give away large sums of money or luxury vehicles.
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