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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Furious' pensioner falls victim to Dr Chris Brown love scam as fraudsters use AI to trick her out of $780
A New Zealand grandmother is the latest victim to be targeted by a love scam using AI-generated videos and images of Dr Chris Brown. Daana Tomlin, 73, was conned out of $786 when she was tricked into believing she had struck up a five-year long online romance with the 46-year-old Bondi Vet star. The fraudsters used emotionally manipulative messages to convince the pensioner she was in a romantic relationship with the star, reported The Daily Telegraph. They first made contact with a 'cheeky message' on Facebook while posing as Chris, before moving Daana to Telegram and WhatsApp to continue the manipulation. Daana, a semi-retired naturopath from Dunedin, said she was conned into sending the scammers almost $800 through gift cards, Apple cards and PayPal. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The hoaxers used sophisticated AI-generated videos of Chris to speak to Daana and convince her to hand over her cash. 'Whenever I became suspicious and tried to end contact, he'd get angry and send me a video saying he was real. It certainly sounded and looked like him,' she said. 'I'm furious that it's not the real Chris Brown, I paid a few hundred dollars for a meet and greet at New Zealand airport through Apple Cards and gift cards.' However, when Chris was a no-show at the airport, Daana asked security for help and they said 'they had not seen him'. Daana said she 'feels silly and embarrassed' for believing it was real, adding the fake Chris would call her 'his wife' and rang 'for five years at 5.30 every morning'. 'What the scammer did was evil, it was devious, exploitative and invasive,' said Daana, who was married for 19 years and has a grown son. She added she 'thought a need was being met' in her and didn't discover she was being scammed until her support worker discovered the PayPal payments. The fraudster had claimed they bought Daana a car as a present, but demanded she send several hundred dollars through PayPal to pay for the registration. Daana isn't the first to fall victim to the sophisticated and long-running love scam. Last month it was reported UK pensioner Lisa Nock was also conned out of her life savings after falling for the same AI scam. The 44-year-old from Staffordshire was browsing Instagram in 2022 when a fake account posing as Chris bombarded her with direct messages. Lisa admitted she was lonely and vulnerable at the time after losing her partner in a car crash, and had been left disabled in another traffic accident. But the avid animal lover said her life changed and she was delighted when the TV star said he wanted to meet her in England. 'I was chuffed that Chris Brown had messaged me, I'm a huge fan and hoped this might be our chance to meet,' Lisa told the Daily Telegraph at the time. The surprise messages began a chain of correspondence that spanned two-and-a-half years, but the scammers soon told her Chris needed money to visit her. They moved the conversation to WhatsApp and continued to groom her, using artificial intelligence to convince her she was in a romantic relationship with him. 'After a few months, I admit I was enamoured. He told me he loved me and wanted us to marry – of course I said no, and asked if it was a scam,' Lisa said. She tried calling the WhatsApp number, but her attempts were blocked. Scammers then used a sophisticated AI program to call Lisa via the encrypted messaging app Telegram. An AI-generated version of Chris said he hoped the call had cleared her doubts. The conmen also used AI image generators to create 'photos' of the TV doctor and shared them with Lisa, a volunteer English and drama teacher. She lives off just $1246 each month from her UK pension, two thirds of which she pays to her parents in rent. The remaining $400 however ended up being sent to the cruel scammers each month for almost three years. Lisa sent the money through gift cards, Bitcoin and Crypto information. 'I was vulnerable and wanted to believe we could be friends, we both love animals, I had lost my partner in a car crash a few years ago,' she said. Lisa finally realised it was all fake when the conmen posed as Chris' 'management' team and told her he had been kidnapped, before demanding $40 million. Lisa has now reported the scam to British police.
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I lost £11k to Instagram scammer who posed as TV Bondi Vet star and proposed'
Bondi Vet superfan Lisa Nock thought she had become romantically involved with TV star Dr Chris Brown, but later realised she had been cheated out of over £11,000 A disabled woman lost £11,000 to an Instagram cryptocurrency romance scammer who posed as an Australian TV vet. Superfan Lisa Nock, 44, was drawn in by a "fake but convincing" Instagram account of Dr Chris Brown, best known for the television series Bondi Vet. Lisa contacted the account, thinking she was talking to the real vet, before the conversation turned "romantic" and the fraudster began "love bombing" Lisa, even proposing to her. The woman thought they were in a relationship so she agreed to transfer the fraudster money for flights and visas to visit her in the UK. The scam saw Lisa transferring the fraudster a total of £11,000 through multiple cryptocurrency wallets over a year-and-a-half, with the biggest single payment being £7,000. The funds were largely sourced from Lisa's disability allowance, meaning she went without Taekwondo and swimming lessons to fund the con. Eventually realising that she was being scammed, she cut ties with the fraudster in January 2025 and reported them to West Midlands Police who reported it to Action Fraud. An investigation is reportedly ongoing. Lisa, who cannot work, from Staffordshire, West Midlands, said she had been talking with the scammer for six months before money was mentioned. She said they "exploited" her disability and financial situation, leaving her with nothing. She said: "I'm sharing my story to help warn others, especially those that are vulnerable like me. I never thought something like this would happen to me- until it was too late." The woman contacted the account in September 2022, with the user responding immediately. The pair then began communication before exchanging numbers and messaging on WhatsApp. Lisa said she felt "very excited" when she got a response from who she believed was Dr Chris. She added that she was not looking for something romantic but enjoy the friendship side of the relationship. She said: "Our chat started friendly, talking about family and friends but then it soon turned flirty, and then the love bombing started." By November, the scammer pretending to be Dr Chris said that he "loved "Lisa and claimed he would come and visit her in the UK, but needed £2,000 for flights. Lisa said: "I lost myself in it and believed that he loved me." On 23 April 2023, Lisa transferred £2,000 to an account via PayPal. The scammer then persuaded Lisa to transfer another £7,000 to pay for a temporary hire to take over Bondi Vet while he visited her in the UK. He set her up with a cryptocurrency wallet, where holdings are only accessible by using a private key, Lisa transferred a further £2,000 in cryptocurrency payments before saying she "couldn't do it anymore" in December 2024 because she could no longer afford it financially. The fraudster didn't follow up with her and their communication ended for good. The woman started to suspect the whole thing was a scam when she noticed the different emails were personal Yahoo emails and not official business emails from the vet. The woman went to West Midlands Police on January 31 2025. She was then told her case had been passed on to Action Fraud and she is still awaiting an update. Lisa said she felt "humiliated and let down" by the incident, saying she was not hopeful that she would get any money back. She said: "Looking back, there were red flags, such as I never spoke to this person over the phone or FaceTime. I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance. How can people be so cruel." She added: "To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year and a half which is scary. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have and I hope the real Dr Chris knows I'm still a fan."
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I thought I was speaking to my favourite TV vet - I lost £11,000'
Lisa Nock, 44, was drawn in by a 'fake but convincing' Instagram account of Dr Chris - an Australian veterinarian best known for the television series Bondi Vet A disabled woman was conned out of £11,000 by a scammer on Instagram pretending to be an Australian TV vet. Lisa Nock, 44, a self-confessed superfan, fell for a "fake but convincing" profile claiming to be Dr Chris Brown from the popular show Bondi Vet. The scam artist struck up a conversation with Lisa, leading her to believe she was chatting with the real celebrity vet. The chats soon took a "romantic" turn, and the imposter began "love bombing" her, even going as far as proposing marriage. Convinced she was in a genuine relationship, Lisa sent money for supposed flights and visas so that 'Dr Chris' could visit her in the UK. Over 18 months, she made multiple payments totalling £11,000 to various cryptocurrency wallets, with one transaction alone amounting to £7,000. The money, mostly sourced from her disability allowance, forced Lisa to give up her Taekwondo and swimming lessons to support the scam. It wasn't until January 2025 that Lisa realised the truth, severed ties with the charlatan, and contacted West Midlands Police, who passed the case to Action Fraud. The investigation into the incident is still underway. Lisa, from Staffordshire in the West Midlands, who is unable to work, said: "I thought it was real at the time. Although they were flirty at the beginning, we were talking for six months before money was mentioned." She lamented how the fraudster fully exploited her vulnerability: "They knew I was disabled, had limited funds and they exploited that entirely. Didn't have a lot financially and now I've been left with nothing. "I'm sharing my story to help warn others, especially those that are vulnerable like me. I never thought something like this would happen to me- until it was too late." Lisa's ordeal began when she reached out to what she believed was Dr Chris' official Instagram account in September 2022 - receiving an instant reply. She was swept off her feet as their communication quickly escalated from friendly chats about family and friends to heavy flirting and so-called 'love bombing'. "I felt very excited because I wasn't expecting a response," Lisa said. "Our chat started friendly, talking about family and friends, but then it soon turned flirty and then the love bombing started. I wasn't looking for something like that, but I liked the friendship side of it." By November, Dr Chris' impersonator professed his "love" for Lisa and expressed a desire to meet her in person. Claiming he needed £2,000 for flights to the UK, he manipulated Lisa's emotions. Lisa admitted: "I lost myself in it and believed that he loved me. I wanted to see him so much, I started going without things like Taekwondo and swimming lessons to transfer the money." On April 23, 2023, Lisa transferred £2,000 to a bank account via PayPal in anticipation of his visit. The scammer's ruse continued when he convinced her to send an additional £7,000 to cover the cost of hiring another vet to fill in on Bondi Vet during his supposed upcoming visit to the UK. He helped her create a cryptocurrency wallet — only accessible with a unique private key — and Lisa handed over an additional £2,000 in digital currency payments before finally declaring in December 2024 that she "couldn't do it anymore" as she was financially stretched. The scammer ceased contact with Lisa abruptly. It was when Lisa noticed the emails came from personal Yahoo accounts rather than official veterinary clinic addresses that she began to smell a rat. On January 31, 2025, Lisa decided enough was enough and reported the matter to West Midlands Police. Her case has since been referred to Action Fraud and she's currently awaiting further news on the situation. Lisa reflected on the experience with regret, saying: "I'm not hopeful that I'll get any money back. They are sneaky and clever - they really fooled me. I feel humiliated and let down. "Looking back, there were red flags, such as I never spoke to this person over the phone or FaceTime. I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance. "How can people be so cruel. To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year-and-a-half, which is scary. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have and I hope the real Dr Chris knows I'm still a fan."
Wales Online
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
'I thought I was talking to famous TV vet - I lost £11,000'
'I thought I was talking to famous TV vet - I lost £11,000' Lisa Nock thought she was speaking to Dr Chris Brown Lisa Nock lost £11,000 to an Instagram cryptocurrency romance scammer (Image: Joseph Walsh/SWNS ) A disabled woman lost £11,000 to an Instagram cryptocurrency romance scammer who posed as an Australian TV vet. Superfan Lisa Nock, 44, was drawn in by a "fake but convincing" Instagram account of Dr Chris - an Australian veterinarian best known for the television series Bondi Vet. The crook running the account posed as Dr Chris Brown when Lisa got in touch, thinking she was talking to the real vet. The conversation turned "romantic" and the fraudster began "love bombing" Lisa and even proposed. Believing they were in a relationship, Lisa agreed to transfer the fraudster money for flights and visas to visit her in the UK. For more than a year-and-a-half, Lisa transferred them a total of £11,000 through multiple cryptocurrency wallets, with the biggest single payment being £7,000. The funds - most of which were from disability allowance - meant Lisa went without Taekwondo and swimming lessons to fund the con. Eventually realising that she was being scammed, Lisa cut ties with the fraudster in January 2025 and reported them to West Midlands Police, which reported it to Action Fraud. An investigation is ongoing. Lisa, who is unable to work, from Staffordshire, West Midlands, said: "I thought it was real at the time. Although they were flirty at the beginning, we were talking for six months before money was mentioned. "They knew I was disabled, had limited funds and they exploited that entirely. Didn't have a lot financially and now I've been left with nothing. Article continues below "I'm sharing my story to help warn others, especially those that are vulnerable like me. I never thought something like this would happen to me- until it was too late." After initially contacting what Lisa thought was Dr Chris' Instagram account in September 2022, the account responded immediately. The pair began communication before exchanging numbers and messaging on WhatsApp. "I felt very excited because I wasn't expecting a response," Lisa said. "Our chat started friendly, talking about family and friends, but then it soon turned flirty and then the love bombing started. I wasn't looking for something like that, but I liked the friendship side of it." By November, the scammer pretending to be Dr Chris said that he "loved "Lisa. He claimed he would come and visit her in the UK, but needed £2,000 for flights. Lisa said: "I lost myself in it and believed that he loved me. I wanted to see him so much, I started going without things like Taekwondo and swimming lessons to transfer the money." Lisa Nock (Image: Lisa Nock/SWNS ) On April 23, 2023, Lisa transferred £2,000 to an account via PayPal. The scammer then persuaded Lisa to transfer another £7,000 to pay for a temporary hire - a different vet to take over Bondi Vet - while he visited her in the UK. He set her up with a cryptocurrency wallet - where holdings are only accessible by using a private key, Lisa transferred a further £2,000 in cryptocurrency payments before saying she "couldn't do it anymore" in December 2024 because she could no longer afford it financially. The fraudster didn't follow up with Lisa and their communication ended for good. Lisa started to suspect the whole thing was a scam when she noticed the different emails were personal Yahoo emails and not official business emails from the vet. In January 31, 2025, Lisa went to West Midlands Police. Her case has been passed on to Action Fraud and she is waiting for an update. She said: "I'm not hopeful that I'll get any money back. They are sneaky and clever - they really fooled me. I feel humiliated and let down. "Looking back, there were red flags, such as I never spoke to this person over the phone or FaceTime. I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance. Article continues below "How can people be so cruel. To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year-and-a-half, which is scary. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have and I hope the real Dr Chris knows I'm still a fan."
The Irish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I thought I'd found love with my dream TV vet but scammer used cruel trick to swindle me out of £11k disability benefits
SEEING the message pop up on her Instagram account, Lisa Nock's heart fluttered. It had only been a month since they began talking but there they were - three little words she had never expected to see, "I love you". Advertisement 8 Lisa Nock lost £11,000 of her disability benefits in a romance scam Credit: SWNS 8 She believed she was talking to Australian TV vet Dr Chris Brown Credit: Getty 8 While she wasn't expecting any romance, she says the scammer began love-bombing her Credit: SWNS Lisa, 44, hadn't been looking for love so it was unexpected to say the least, but what was even more surprising was who was sending the messages. TV But Lisa, who has autism and mobility issues after being hit by a car as a child, later discovered that the man she was talking to was in fact a romance scammer who conned her out of £11,000 in Instagram cryptocurrency. Superfan Lisa was drawn in by a "fake but convincing" Instagram account she thought belonged to Dr Chris. Advertisement Read More on Real Lives The crook running the account posed as the celeb vet when he contacted Lisa who believed she was talking to the real vet. The conversation turned "romantic" and the fraudster began Believing they were in a relationship, Lisa agreed to transfer the fraudster money for flights and visas to visit her in the UK. Over a year-and-a-half, Lisa transferred them a total of £11,000 through multiple cryptocurrency wallets, with the biggest single payment being £7,000. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Lisa, who cannot work, from Staffordshire, "Although they were flirty at the beginning, we were talking for six months before money was mentioned.' Romance Scammer Jailed Again - Sharon's Story After initially contacting what Lisa thought was Dr Chris' Instagram account in September 2022, the account responded immediately. The pair began chatting before exchanging numbers and messaging via WhatsApp. Advertisement "I felt very excited because I wasn't expecting a response," Lisa said. "Our chat started friendly, talking about family and friends but then it soon turned flirty, and then the love bombing started. "I wasn't looking for something like that but I liked the friendship side of it." 8 As an animal lover, Lisa was a huge fan of the show Bondi Vet which the real Dr Chris stars in Credit: Supplied Advertisement 8 She received emails from a fraudulent account posing as the official Bondi Vet account Credit: Supplied 8 Lisa says she gave up swimming and Taekwondo to fund her scammer's demands Credit: SWNS By November, the scammer pretending to be Dr Chris said he "loved" Lisa. He claimed he would come and visit her in the UK, but needed £2,000 for flights. Advertisement Lisa said: "I lost myself in it and believed that he loved me. "I wanted to see him so much, I started going without things like Taekwondo and swimming lessons to transfer the money." WHAT IS LOVE BOMBING? EVERY person who is seeking to find that person they want to spend the rest of their life with is prone to love bombing. Before we go on to explain the term, it is important to know that when these things are done in the right way it could just be someone you have found a connection with. Love bombing is often used by controlling, narcissistic and abusive individuals. They try to quickly obtain the affection and attention of someone they are romantically pursuing by presenting an idealised image of themselves. That is the important thing to remember, as a lot of the tactics used by a love bomber are common traits you would expect from a partner. It is all about the context they are used in, for what purpose and how it evolves into something else. More often than not, a love bomber will switch to becoming abusive, very difficult and manipulative once they feel secure in the relationship. On 23 April 2023, Lisa transferred £2,000 to an account via PayPal. The scammer then persuaded Lisa to transfer another £7,000 to pay for a temporary hire - a different vet to take over Bondi Vet - whilst he visited her in the UK. Advertisement He set her up with a cryptocurrency wallet - where holdings are only accessible by using a private key. I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance Lisa Nok Lisa transferred a further £2,000 in cryptocurrency payments before saying she "couldn't do it anymore" in December 2024 because she could no longer afford it financially. The fraudster didn't follow up with Lisa and their communication ended for good. Lisa started to suspect the whole thing was a scam when she noticed the different emails were personal Yahoo emails and not official business emails from the vet. Advertisement Eventually realising that she was being scammed, Lisa cut ties with the fraudster in January 2025 and contacted West Midlands Police who in turn reported it to Action Fraud. The investigation is ongoing. She said: "I'm not hopeful that I'll get any money back. "They are sneaky and clever - they really fooled me. "I feel humiliated and let down. Advertisement "Looking back, there were red flags, such as I never spoke to this person over the phone or FaceTime. To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year and a half which is scary. Lisa Nok "I stopped buying certain things and going out with my friend so I could put aside some of my disability allowance. "How can people be so cruel? "To this day, I don't know who I was talking to for a year and a half which is scary. Advertisement "I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have and I hope the real Dr Chris knows I'm still a fan." 8 Lisa says she feels humiliated by her experience and has been left with nothing Credit: Supplied 8 Despite everything Lisa is still a fan of the real Dr Chris Credit: Getty She added: "They knew I was disabled, had limited funds and they exploited that entirely. Advertisement "I didn't have a lot financially and now I've been left with nothing. "I'm sharing my story to help warn others, especially those that are vulnerable like me. "I never thought something like this would happen to me - until it was too late." How do I spot crypto scams? CRYPTO scams are popping up all over the internet. We explain how to spot them. Promises of a high or guaranteed return - Does the offer look realistic? Scammers often attract money by making fake promises. Heavy marketing and promotional offers - If they are using marketing tricks to con customers you should beware. Unamed or non-existent team members - Just like any business you should be easily able to find out who is running it. Check the whitepaper - Every crypto firm should have a white paper. This should explain how it plans to grow and make money. If this doesn't make sense, then it could be because the founders are trying to confuse you. Do your research - Check reviews online and Reddit threads to see what other people think.
