A 77-year-old woman was duped into handing over £17,000 to scammers by a romance scam involving deepfake technology.
The woman, Nikki MacLeod, believed she was in an online relationship with a woman named Alla Morgan, whom she thought was working on an oil rig in the North Sea.
MacLeod, a retired university lecturer, sent gift cards and made bank transfers, believing the funds were going to her supposed partner. Initially skeptical, she was reassured by video messages, which she now realizes were fake, generated using AI technology.
“I am not a stupid person, but she convinced me that she was real, and we were going to spend our lives together,” MacLeod explained during an interview on BBC Radio Scotland’s. She revealed that after losing both of her parents during the COVID-19 lockdown and experiencing a breakup, she had felt particularly lonely and turned to online chats, where she met “Alla Morgan.”
The scammer, using deepfake technology, fabricated a convincing backstory, claiming to be working on a North Sea oil rig and needing Steam gift cards to establish an internet connection. These cards, typically used for video game purchases, were requested to continue their communication. Despite initial hesitation, MacLeod eventually bought hundreds of pounds worth of cards.
Signs of Deception and Escalating Demands
As the relationship progressed, MacLeod repeatedly asked for a live video call, but each time, the scammer either refused or the video connection failed. Eventually, MacLeod began receiving recorded video messages made by AI, where the scammer appeared to reassure her, claiming to be on the oil rig.
“She sent me a video saying, ‘Hi Nikki, I am not a scammer, I’m on my oil rig,’ and I was totally convinced,” MacLeod said. In another video, she saw “bad weather” in the background, reinforcing the illusion of authenticity. Shortly thereafter, the scammer began requesting significant sums of money.
The scammer also sent fake documents, including a company name where Alla Morgan supposedly worked, further convincing MacLeod to send money for the fake romance. At one point, the fraudster even posed as a representative from Alla Morgan’s HR department, asking MacLeod for $2,500 (£2,000) to cover the cost of a helicopter.
MacLeod eventually realized something was wrong when her bank alerted her to a potential fraud while she was attempting to make another payment to a new bank account she believed belonged to Alla Morgan.
Investigation and Growing Concerns
The identity of the woman featured in the deepfake videos remains unknown. Police Scotland have confirmed they are investigating the case. Meanwhile, experts are growing increasingly concerned about the rise of deepfake technology in criminal activities, particularly its use in online scams and even the creation of explicit content.
Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, called deepfake technology an “invisible threat” because many victims may not even realize they’ve been targeted until it’s too late. “Sometimes when they do become aware that they’ve been targeted for deepfake sexual abuse, they don’t even know the extent of how far those images have been shared or where they’ve been hosted across the internet,” she told LBC this week.
A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council emphasized the seriousness of crimes involving deepfake technology, stating, “Creating and sharing sexually explicit images of someone without their consent, including deepfakes, is deeply pervasive and can have a traumatic impact on victims. It’s important that victims understand that these are serious crimes and feel confident in reporting offences to the police so that action can be taken.”
This case highlights the increasing vulnerability of individuals, especially older adults, to sophisticated online scams and serves as a reminder of the need for heightened awareness about the dangers posed by new technologies.
