A 43-year-old man from Southampton, England, says he was duped into sending hundreds of dollars in Apple gift cards after being convinced he was in a romantic relationship with actress Jennifer Aniston, as reported by the New York Post.
Paul Davis told The Sun that the scam, which lasted five months, began with messages he believed were from the “Friends” star. According to Davis, the scammer sent AI-generated videos and photos of Aniston declaring her love for him.
One image even showed a sign reading, “I love you.”
I was scammed out of hundreds of pounds by an AI deepfake Jennifer Aniston who told me she loved me https://t.co/051Okc8BgC
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) July 1, 2025
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“I’ve had fake videos from Jennifer Aniston saying she loves me and asking for [about $270],” Davis said. “I believed it – and I paid.”
Despite being unemployed, Davis said he sent Apple gift card codes to the person he believed was Aniston, after they claimed to be struggling to pay for their Apple subscriptions.
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“Are you there my love,” the scammer wrote in one message. “My subscription is about to expire.”
Scammed Brit thought Jennifer Aniston was in love with him —and needed help paying her Apple bill https://t.co/J6g260PlUV
— DJ Trumpular (@TrumpMuskUpdate) July 2, 2025
Davis said he was convinced by a series of supposed proofs, including a fake image of a California driver’s license with Aniston’s name and photo, and audio clips that he believed matched the actress’s voice.
He also said the scam didn’t end with the Aniston impersonator. Others claiming to be tech figures Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg also contacted him, apparently using similar tactics.
“It’s been going on for five months,” Davis said. “I thought someone would get in trouble for this, but they seem to be having a laugh – and getting away with it.”
Davis said the frequency and style of the messages made them seem real. The scammer maintained regular contact and escalated emotional appeals for assistance.
He eventually realized he had been targeted in an elaborate fraud scheme, and now warns others to be cautious.
“I got bitten,” Davis said. “Once bitten, twice shy.”
British authorities have not yet confirmed any investigation into the incident. The rise in artificial intelligence-generated images and voice cloning has made celebrity impersonation scams increasingly difficult for some individuals to detect.
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