British man scammed by AI deepfake of Jennifer Aniston in fake romance phishing scam

A man from Southampton has spoken out after falling victim to an AI-driven scam impersonating actress Jennifer Aniston.

Paul Davis, 43, says he was targeted with AI-generated videos that included fake messages and images from celebrities such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Aniston.

In one message, the deepfake Jennifer Aniston told him “she loved him” and asked for money, even sending what looked like a copy of her driving licence. Believing the message was genuine, Paul sent £200 in Apple gift cards. “I've got fake videos from Jennifer Aniston asking me for £200 and saying she loves me,” he said.

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Paul, who is unemployed and lives with depression, said scammers have targeted him for five months, promising everything from cash prizes to luxury vehicles.

The scam used fake certificates and doctored ID cards designed to look official, including one that claimed he had won £500,000 and a Range Rover. Paul isn't alone—he said a friend lost over £1,000 to similar schemes.

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In a related case, a French woman was defrauded out of hundreds of thousands of pounds by a scammer posing as actor Brad Pitt. The con artist used reels of AI-generated images and romantic messages to build trust over time.

Claiming to be in love, the fake Pitt convinced the woman to send large sums of money to support supposed personal and legal expenses.

Experts say such high-profile impersonations are becoming more common as deepfake technology becomes more accessible and convincing.