Jon Bon Jovi impersonator uses AI videos to scam woman out of $10K, nearly costing her home
She gave love a chance.A scammer gave it a bad name.For months, Leslie Pickett thought she was talking to Jon Bon Jovi, the rock star she had adored since she was 14.
The man behind the screen messaged her day and night, sent convincing videos and eventually persuaded her to hand over thousands of dollars.By the time the deception unraveled, she had lost more than $10,000 and came close to losing her home.WOMAN LOSES NEARLY $1M IN LINKEDIN ROMANCE SCAMMariana van Zeller interviews Leslie, a scam victim in Louisiana.(National Geographic)"My heart was shattered," the Louisiana resident told Fox News Digital.
"I was still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.But there was nothing but ill intent.
That's what hurt the most."Pickett's story is featured in the National Geographic documentary special "Super Scam Me," in which Emmy Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller goes undercover to investigate online scams, traveling to Africa to confront a suspected scammer face-to-face.In "Super Scam Me," Mariana van Zeller goes undercover to investigate romance scammers.(National Geographic/Daniel Hollis Diamond)"We're living in the era of scams," van Zeller told Fox News Digital.
"Romance scams, in particular, are the fastest growing, and I believe, most devastating form of financial crime out there.One in seven Americans have reported losing money to romance scams.
And so, I think now is the best time to raise awareness."WATCH: Woman warns of SIM swap scam after hackers drained her bank accountFox News Digital reached out to Bon Jovi’s spokesperson for comment.Pickett, who was "more of a Facebook person," was introduced to Instagram by her daughter.She came across Bon Jovi's verified account in late 2024 and commented on one of his posts.
Five minutes later, she received a response from an account that appeared to belong to Bon Jovi himself.However, the account wasn't verified."He gave very thoughtful answers to my questions, so I genuinely thought it was hi...