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Lost $10,000 and Nearly Her Home to a Fake 'Bon Jovi' Online
Security1 min read
A woman in Louisiana lost about $10,000 after she believed she was talking to rock star Jon Bon Jovi. The man was actually a scammer using AI to fake the singer's identity.
A fake Bon Jovi online
Leslie Pickett, a long-time fan of Jon Bon Jovi, met a fake Facebook account that looked like his. The account had no verified badge, but she thought it was real. For months, the person chatted with her in secret, sent flowers, and shared photos and videos. Then he asked her for money again and again, in the form of crypto and payment apps. Pickett almost lost her house.
Key facts
- Pickett lost about $10,000 to the scam.
- She first sent small payments of $100 to $150.
- The fake account contacted her in late 2024.
- The story appears in the National Geographic documentary Super Scam Me.
How the trick worked
The scammer said the singer could not talk openly because his manager would shut down the account. He told her to use secret messages. He sent AI-made photos and videos. In one test, Pickett asked for a silly face, like pulling an ear or sticking out a tongue, and a video came back within five minutes. She could not tell it was fake. Journalist Mariana van Zeller says these scams are growing fast and are now very hard to spot.
Why it matters
This story shows that AI can now make fake videos that look real. Romance scams are one of the fastest-growing kinds of financial crime, and they can hurt people badly. Anyone can be fooled, even someone who is careful. People should be careful when a famous person contacts them online and asks for money.
What to watch
- Whether social media companies do more to check verified badges and fake accounts.
- How banks and payment apps stop scam transfers to crypto.
- Whether the scammer who said he would fly to Louisiana is found.
Glossary
- AI
- Artificial intelligence; computer programs that can create images, videos, and text that look human-made.