A Louisiana woman lost more than $10,000 (£7,500) after spending months believing she was in a relationship with rock star Jon Bon Jovi, only to discover that the person she had been messaging was an impostor using artificial intelligence to make the deception more convincing.
Leslie Pickett, a longtime fan of the singer, received personalised videos that appeared to show him speaking directly to her, making it harder to dismiss her doubts about his identity.
According to Fox News, the losses pushed her into severe debt, leaving her home facing foreclosure. Her experience is featured in Super Scam Me, a National Geographic documentary special in which investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller examines online romance fraud.
The case highlights a troubling problem for people looking for relationships online: convincing videos, familiar faces and seemingly personal conversations can all be used to build trust before a criminal asks for money.
How the Jon Bon Jovi Impersonator Built Trust Before Asking for Money
According to Business Insider, Pickett first encountered the impostor after commenting on Bon Jovi's verified Instagram account in late 2024. The response came from a separate, unverified profile featuring the singer's image.
The person claimed Bon Jovi wanted to communicate with fans privately and suggested moving their conversations to WhatsApp or Telegram. Over time, he remembered details from earlier discussions, told her he loved her and sent flowers to her home. The impostor also falsely claimed that he was secretly divorcing his wife.
According to van Zeller, the impostor spent seven months building trust before asking Pickett for money. She was offered a private meet-and-greet after missing out on tickets for a genuine performance in Nashville. The impostor directed her through payment processes, including cryptocurrency, presenting the transactions as necessary to arrange the meeting.
When he later claimed to have arrived in Louisiana in July 2025, he sent photographs that appeared to show him inside a hotel Pickett recognised. He then demanded further payment for a supposed security clearance, claiming the procedure was necessary before they could meet.
The encounter never happened. After becoming suspicious, Pickett contacted investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller, who helped her investigate the account with assistance from a former hacker.
According to Fox News, the investigation traced an IP address associated with the account to Lagos, Nigeria. The team also identified a property they believed was linked to the activity, but the reported findings do not independently establish the identity of the person behind the account.
AI Videos and Romance Scam Warning Signs
Pickett's account illustrates why a personalised video should not be treated as conclusive proof of someone's identity. She told Fox News that she asked the person in the recordings to pull his right ear, cross his eyes and stick out his tongue. According to Pickett, a video showing the requested actions arrived within minutes.
The episode raises questions about relying on video alone to establish who is behind an online account. The FBI warned in February 2026 that criminals were increasingly using generative AI to create realistic images, digital content and persuasive messages.
Its romance scam guidance also identifies requests for money, pressure to leave established platforms and repeated excuses for avoiding in-person meetings as warning signs.
The financial risks extend beyond celebrity impersonation. The US Federal Trade Commission reported that nearly 60 per cent of people who said they lost money to romance scams in 2025 reported that the contact began on social media.
The Absurd Amount of Money Scammed In Such Scams
The US Federal Trade Commission figures also showed that reported losses from scams originating on social media reached $2.1 billion (£1.58 billion) that year.
These figures cover social media scams generally, rather than AI-generated celebrity impersonations alone. The FTC separately reported approximately $298 million (£224 million) in losses from romance scams originating on social media in 2025.
For anyone approached by a supposed celebrity or online romantic partner, the safest response to a request for money is to stop and verify the claim independently. Do not rely on videos, profile photographs or assurances from the account itself.
Check the person's identity through independently sourced official channels, contact the celebrity's representatives using details published on an official website, and speak to someone trusted before transferring funds.
Bon Jovi's representative also told Business Insider that artists do not solicit money through social media, urging people to exercise caution when communicating with accounts claiming to represent public figures.
