The videos looked and sounded like the real person. How can they be fake?

Fox News Digital reported that the impostor in the Louisiana case used generative AI. The journalist who looked into the case told Fox News Digital that some fake celebrity videos she received looked professional and believable, not like the distorted fakes of the past.

Would a real artist ever ask a fan for money online?

No. A representative for the singer told Business Insider that people should use caution with social media accounts, and that artists will never ask for money online through social media.

Scam alert

Celebrity Messages You and Wants Meet-and-Greet Fees? It's an Impostor

Posted Oct 27

Louisiana · foxnews.com · Arrives by a private message on social media

The short answer

A celebrity who writes to you privately from an account that is not their verified one, asks you to keep it secret, and later wants money for a meet and greet, a "security check," or their management is an impostor. Recorded videos can be made with AI, so a video that says your name does not prove who is talking. A representative for one singer told Business Insider that artists will never ask fans for money through social media. Stop sending money, and check the account against the celebrity's verified one.

What is happening

In October 2026, Fox News Digital and Business Insider reported on a Louisiana woman who commented on Jon Bon Jovi's verified Instagram post in late 2024 and got a private reply from a different, unverified account using his face, which moved the chat to WhatsApp or Telegram and said his management would shut the account down if they found out. Over about 10 months, he said "I love you," sent flowers to her home, and sent recorded videos that said her name, which Fox News Digital reported were made with generative AI. In 2025 he asked her to pay for a meet and greet and then for "security" checks, and she lost more than $10,000 through payment apps and bitcoin.

How to recognize it

A famous person answers your comment with a private message from an account that is not their verified account.
They ask you to keep it secret, saying their management would shut the account down if it found out.
They move the conversation to WhatsApp or Telegram.
After months of messages and talk of love, they ask you to pay for a meet and greet, a security check, or something through their "management."
When a payment does not "go through," you are told to send more by a different payment app or by cryptocurrency.

What to do instead

Do not send money or cryptocurrency to someone you know only online, however long you have been talking.
Compare the account that wrote to you with the celebrity's verified account. If it is a different account, it is not them.
Tell someone you trust about the relationship before you pay for anything.
If you want to tell someone, the rule is: a celebrity who asks you for money online is not that celebrity.

If it already happened

Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.

These impostors spend months building trust before money comes up, so careful people are fooled.
Stop sending money, even if you are told one more payment will set up the meeting.
Contact your bank and each payment app you used, and ask what can be done about the payments.
Keep the messages and payment records, and report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Open Help Now

Common questions

The videos looked and sounded like the real person. How can they be fake?: Fox News Digital reported that the impostor in the Louisiana case used generative AI. The journalist who looked into the case told Fox News Digital that some fake celebrity videos she received looked professional and believable, not like the distorted fakes of the past.
Would a real artist ever ask a fan for money online?: No. A representative for the singer told Business Insider that people should use caution with social media accounts, and that artists will never ask for money online through social media.

Practice this safely

Practice pausing when someone you know only online asks for money, and checking who they are another way first.

Every story is fictional. There is no timer, no score, and no real message, payment, or account.

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Tell someone

Copy a short note you can paste into a text or email. It names the scam, the next step, and this page. Nothing is sent from this site.

Celebrity Messages You and Wants Meet-and-Greet Fees? It's an Impostor

A celebrity who writes to you privately from an account that is not their verified one, asks you to keep it secret, and later wants money for a meet and greet, a "security check," or their management is an impostor. Recorded videos can be made with AI, so a video that says your name does not prove who is talking. A representative for one singer told Business Insider that artists will never ask fans for money through social media. Stop sending money, and check the account against the celebrity's verified one.

Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/fake-celebrity-romance-ai-video-scam

Where this comes from

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This alert provides general educational information drawn from the sources above. It cannot determine whether a specific message you received is genuine, investigate an incident, or promise recovery or reimbursement.

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