Celebrities' Images Exploited in Romance Scams, Leading to Massive Losses and Emotional Damage
Fraudsters are using celebrity images to create fake romantic profiles, resulting in significant financial and emotional harm to victims globally, including in Brazil.
- • Criminals create fake profiles using celebrity photos to conduct romance scams.
- • An elderly man in Minas Gerais lost over R$30,000 believing he was dating Juliana Paes.
- • Ju Isen's images were used to deceive a victim in a virtual relationship.
- • International celebrities like Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves have also been exploited in costly scams.
- • Alessandra Ambrósio was linked to a 15-year scam involving 700,000 euros.
- • Simone Mendes' identity was used in a fraud that broke up a marriage.
Key details
Criminals have been increasingly using celebrity photos to create fake profiles in the so-called 'love scam', tricking victims into virtual romantic relationships before demanding money. A recent case involved an elderly man from Minas Gerais who believed he was in a romance with Brazilian actress Juliana Paes; he lost over R$30,000 before realizing the fraud. This incident has renewed concerns about celebrities' images being exploited for scams.
Influencer Ju Isen reported that scammers used her images and videos to sustain a virtual relationship with an elderly victim, continuously updating the fake profile with real content to maintain credibility.
International celebrities have also been victims of similar schemes. Actress and model Alessandra Ambrósio was linked to a scam lasting 15 years, during which an Italian player sent around 700,000 euros to fraudsters posing as her. Hollywood actor Brad Pitt’s image was used in a scam that cost a woman about $850,000, while another woman lost approximately $160,000 after being deceived by someone impersonating Keanu Reeves.
Brazilian singer Simone Mendes had her identity stolen in a fraud that emotionally manipulated a man, ultimately causing him to separate from his wife.
These cases highlight the emotional and financial devastation resulting from criminals exploiting public figures' images in romance scams.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.