AI deepfake of George Clooney used in romance scam, woman loses $15,000
An Argentine woman was defrauded of $15,000 by scammers who impersonated George Clooney using AI-generated deepfake videos sent over Facebook and Signal. The scammers promised employment help and charitable donations while building a romantic connection, extracting money through multiple pretexts before the victim discovered the deception and reported it to the FBI.
What happened
A scammer using a fake George Clooney Facebook profile contacted an Argentine woman who had commented on a fan page with photos from the actor's appearance at the Venice Film Festival. The scammer used Signal to communicate and claimed the woman could get a verified fans club card that would help her find work, since she was unemployed.
The scammer sent AI-generated deepfake videos of Clooney saying phrases like 'How are you? Thank you for supporting me, I promise to repay you. I love you' and 'I'm getting divorced and my account is blocked. I don't want my wife to find out.' The woman paid $300 for a fake fans club card, then $300 more to activate it, and later donated $300 to what the scammer claimed was Clooney's foundation.
The woman lost a total of $15,000 before realizing the deception and filed a complaint with the FBI.
Reported impact
An Argentine woman was defrauded of $15,000 over the course of more than one month.
Index analysis
The incident demonstrates how AI-generated deepfake videos can be weaponized in romance scams to impersonate celebrities and establish false credibility, exploiting both emotional manipulation and the victims' desire to believe they are communicating with a real public figure.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.