Romance scammer described as using AI posed as Jon Bon Jovi for almost a year, leaving a woman facing foreclosure
A woman was reportedly tricked into believing she was in a relationship with musician Jon Bon Jovi for almost a year. The scammer is described in the headline as an AI scammer. She lost a lot of money and faced foreclosure on her home. Her case appears in the National Geographic documentary Super Scam Me by journalist Mariana van Zeller. She now reports fake profiles to Facebook, Instagram and Meta. She says only three or four in every 10 are taken down.
What the AI did
A scammer, described in the headline as an AI scammer, reportedly posed as musician Jon Bon Jovi to keep a woman in a fake relationship for almost a year. It has not been reported which AI tool was used or exactly what it produced.
First reported October 12, 2026 · Added to the register October 20, 2026 · 1 source
- Affected
- Leslie
- When it happened
- Not stated in the sources
- First reported
- October 12, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
If your customers or staff use Facebook or Instagram. People on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are targeted by romance scams that reportedly use AI-generated celebrity personas, and only three or four in every 10 reported fake profiles are said to be taken down.
What to check
- Treat online relationships with celebrities or strangers who ask for money as likely fraud.
- Strengthen detection and takedown of fake celebrity profiles if you run a platform.
- Flag unusual payments if you are a bank or payment provider.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Every fact and its source (5)
- Celebrity impersonatedJon Bon Jovi“she was in a year-long relationship with Jon Bon Jovi”[1]
- Consequence for victimFaced foreclosure on her home“left her facing foreclosure on her home”[1]
- Platforms where fake profiles were reportedFacebook, Instagram, Meta“reporting every single one of these profiles to Facebook and to Instagram and Meta in general”[1]
- Fake profile takedown rateThree or four in every 10 taken down“she says just four or three in every 10 of these actually get taken down”[1]
- Documentary featuring the caseSuper Scam Me (National Geographic)“In Super Scam Me, Emmy-winning investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller”[1]
Sources
How this record is classified. Severity M (3/5): harm to individuals, or a policy breach with limited reach. OECD level: incident, an event in which an AI system led to actual harm. Evidence: Reported, meaning press reporting only.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and checked against them automatically before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened. Incidents are found through news feeds and the GDELT Project.
