Paul Davis thought he was speaking with Hollywood royalty when he received a message from “Jennifer Aniston” professing love and asking for help with Apple subscriptions.
According to the US Sun, the 43-year-old Southampton man was tricked into sending £200 in Apple gift cards to scammers using AI-generated content posing as celebrities in an evolving wave of high-tech fraud.
Davis, who is currently unemployed and dealing with depression, said he was targeted earlier this year by individuals using deepfake videos and manipulated images to pose as Aniston. They used Facebook as the primary contact point.
Believing it was the former "Friends" star, he received what appeared to be her driver’s license and multiple videos with her likeness, generated using artificial intelligence to appear shockingly real.
“They make it look so real,” he said, adding that the messages were convincing enough that he fell for the claims. One of the videos allegedly included a fake Aniston saying she loved him and needed money.
Davis said he was then asked for £200 to help cover what the scammer claimed were accumulated Apple subscription fees. He went out and purchased non-refundable Apple gift cards, sending off the codes as requested.
After realizing he had been scammed, Davis began to see a disturbing pattern. Over the following five months, he received numerous similar messages, most featuring AI-altered visuals of other globally known figures.
Among those impersonated in these scams were tech entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg and billionaire Elon Musk. One deepfake video of Zuckerberg included a manipulated clip in which “he” assured, “This is not a scam — believe me,” while presenting an fake ID.
Other messages promised Davis massive rewards, including luxury cars and £500,000 in prizes, all backed by fake digital certificates claiming to originate from Facebook.
These repeated fraud attempts, often several per day, began to impact Davis's emotional health. Already battling depression and joblessness, he said the constant targeting was wearing him down mentally.
“It’s been going on for five months,” he said. “I thought someone would get in trouble for this, but they seem to be having a laugh — and getting away with it.”
The scam attempts weren’t harmless, as the perpetrators often sought out sensitive financial data. Davis described being asked for his personal bank account details and credit card information on several occasions.
Davis said he knew someone who lost over £1,000 in the same type of scam involving Apple gift cards. This pushed him to share his story more publicly, hoping it would prevent others from falling into the same trap.
“Once bitten, twice shy,” he admitted, explaining that he has become far more cautious online since recognizing the scam. Still, he warned that the sophistication of AI tools makes these schemes harder to spot.
This trend does not affect only individuals in the UK. In one startling case, a 53-year-old woman from France, referred to as Anne, lost nearly £700,000 to a scammer impersonating actor Brad Pitt.
Like Davis, Anne received AI-generated selfies and texts claiming to be from Pitt. Over a year, the fraudster built a romantic relationship with her entirely online.
Eventually, investigators traced the scammer to Nigeria, where they discovered a network that had defrauded at least 34 others using similar techniques, according to officials familiar with that case.
And in yet another incident, a woman posted to Reddit seeking advice after her mother was deceived by a deepfake of actor Owen Wilson, highlighting how widespread and accessible these manipulation tools have become.
While the use of celebrity images in scams is nothing new, the integration of artificial intelligence is ratcheting up the believability — and the consequences — of these cons.
Davis hopes that sharing his experience will serve as a powerful cautionary tale. “I got bitten,” he said. “I can’t keep taking that sort of hit.”
As these scams become more convincing and personal, victims like Davis warn the public of the emotional and financial devastation these frauds can cause — and urge more vigilance in the digital age.
