Victim of virtual love: 49-year-old man sells everything for an AI-created "girl" and gets scammed

Following the development of modern digital technologies and artificial intelligence, new and dangerous types of virtual fraud are emerging. A strange yet tragic incident in Brazil has caught the attention of millions of users worldwide and served as a serious lesson in digital security.

A 49-year-old ordinary builder and bricklayer named Edimar lost everything after falling into the trap of a virtual "female blogger" on social media who introduced herself as a beautiful farmer named Jessica Oliveira.

"Come to my farm, I will cover all your expenses": False promises

The blogger, who posted beautiful videos on social media showing herself living alone on a luxury farm in the lap of beautiful nature, began corresponding with Edimar:

• Gaining trust: Jessica told the man that she had large plots of land and livestock, and expressed that she was looking for an honest and hardworking partner to move to the farm and share her life with;

• Generous promises: She promised to cover all travel and living expenses;

• Drastic decision: Intoxicated by love and pinning great hopes on the future, 49-year-old Edimar sold all his property and household goods at a cheap price and set off on the road.

A 2,000-kilometer journey and unexpected reality

The man, rushing into the arms of his beloved, traveled a full 2 thousand kilometers from one end of Brazil to the other:

• Empty address: Arriving at the specified address carrying his suitcase, Edimar fell into a state of shock upon discovering that there was neither any farm nor the Jessica Oliveira he had been expecting;

• Victim of artificial intelligence: Investigations revealed that "Jessica" was actually a virtual persona generated using artificial intelligence (AI) that does not exist in nature at all;

• Automated bot: All the love declarations, proposals, and messages he received were sent through an automated chat-bot with a special neural network.

Social services assisted the lover left on the street

Having sold his home and property and spent all his money on the journey, the bricklayer was left on the street completely helpless, penniless, and homeless:

• Applying for help: Realizing the full gravity of the situation, Edimar was forced to turn to the local social assistance service;

• Returning home: Social service workers provided the scammed man with temporary shelter and food, and are helping to return him to his hometown.

This event once again proved that blindly believing in beautiful photos and videos on the internet, and in virtual promises, can ruin a person's life in a single moment.