Man scammed out of hundreds by 'Jennifer Aniston' who told him 'she loved him'
Not everyone online is as friendly as you first think - as this man found out after being duped by a scammer posing as Jennifer Aniston.
Paul Davis believed he was talking to the Friends actress, 56, on Facebook after fraudsters sent him 'fake videos', a dupe of her driving licence, and a series of flattering messages.
The 43-year-old, from Southampton, has now told how he has been left hundreds of pounds out of pocket after falling for the elaborate scam earlier this year.
But Paul says he knows people who have been left in an even bigger financial hole after being fooled by grifters posing as famous faces.
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"They make it look so real," the unemployed Brit, who suffers from depression, said.
He claimed that he has been 'relentlessly' targeted online by phoneys sending him AI-generated videos which supposedly show A-listers including Aniston, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
According to Paul, he's been contacted dozens of times a day by these scammers, who allege he's won a 'special prize' - such as wads of cash or even a flashy Range Rover.
In one bizarre video featuring a computer-generated version of Facebook founder Zuckerberg flashing a fake ID, the 'billionaire' states: "This is not a scam, believe me," before going on to insist he is a 'genuine person'.
The scammers took a bit of a different approach when posing as Aniston, instead opting to pull on Paul's heartstrings by referring to him as 'my love', using flirty emojis and sending doctored 'selfies' of the star.
He was pressured to send non-refundable Apple gift cards to who he thought was the Golden Globe-winning actress, after being told her 'subscription was about to expire'.
To completely convince Paul everything was above board, the scammers even cruelly sent him an image of what appeared to be Aniston's driving licence.
After seeing this, and videos which supposedly show Aniston telling Paul she 'loved him', he handed over £200 worth of Apple gift cards.
"I believed it - and I paid," the 43-year-old admitted. "I got bitten. Once bitten, twice shy."
He explained that he has been a target of AI-using scammers for months on end, saying: "It’s been going on for five months.
"I thought someone would get in trouble for this, but they seem to be having a laugh - and getting away with it.
"Someone I know’s lost over a grand in Apple gift cards to these scams."
Paul has urged other social media users to be wary of these kind of financial shakedowns, as he confessed he 'can’t keep taking that sort of hit'.
"They’re asking for bank details, credit card info - everything," he added.
Paul isn't alone, as a host of other people have spoken out about falling for sophisticated online scams, where AI is often used to make them even more convincing.
Back in January, it emerged that a woman in France was scammed out of £700,000 by a fraudster posing as Brad Pitt, who claimed he needed money for 'cancer treatment'.
Fraudsters have also been posing as stars such as Owen Wilson online - so take your online interactions with 'celebrities' with a large pinch of salt, please.
AI expert Dr Jennifer Williams, of the University of Southampton, said that these are simply ‘phishing scams’ which have been escalated to larger proportions.
She explained that you should always be wary of any red flags while revealing some tips that could help you smell a rat.
The boffin said people should look out for odd phrasing, highly pixelated images, phrases like ‘don’t be afraid’ which are designed to provoke an emotional response, and different pixelation patterns around names which indicate they were added later.
Topics: Jennifer Aniston, Celebrity, UK News, AI, Money
Olivia Burke