AI deepfake romance scam targeting Southampton resident using Jennifer Aniston persona
A 43-year-old Southampton resident was deceived by fraudsters using AI-generated deepfake videos and manipulated images to impersonate actress Jennifer Aniston in a romance scam. Over five months, the victim was persuaded to send £200 in Apple gift cards and reported experiencing emotional manipulation and targeting by similar scams impersonating other celebrities.
What happened
Over five months, a 43-year-old unemployed man from Southampton received fake messages, deepfake videos, and doctored images from fraudsters impersonating actress Jennifer Aniston. The scammers called him "my love," sent flirty emojis, and shared a fake California driver's license bearing Aniston's name and photo to establish credibility.
The victim was persuaded to send £200 in Apple gift cards, reportedly to help cover Aniston's "Apple subscription" and "financial issues." The scammers used publicly available photos, voice samples, and free AI tools to create convincing deepfake videos requesting the assistance.
Reported impact
The victim lost £200 (approximately $270) in Apple gift cards. He reported receiving relentless targeting by impersonators using AI to mimic multiple celebrities including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, and said he cannot afford to keep absorbing such losses.
The victim, who suffers from depression, described the emotional manipulation involved, noting he was warned to avoid contacting "fake accounts" and to delete previous chats to isolate him from verifying the scam.
Index analysis
Jennifer Aniston has been a target for cybercriminals for over a decade, appearing in spam campaigns and fake product endorsements. The use of deepfake technology represents an escalation, enabling scammers to create highly convincing video and audio impersonations with minimal resources.
The scam exploited emotional vulnerability and loneliness, using the promise of attention from a celebrity to build trust before requesting financial assistance through untraceable gift cards.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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