In this day and age, with social media, it has become easy to connect with people from all over the world. Celebrities have also, as a result, become more accessible, and in the same way, they can connect to fans much more than before.

Keep reading to know more about what happened.

A man who thought Jennifer Aniston was wooing him is finding out the truth about his lady love the hard way. Paul Davis, a 43-year-old from Southampton, had befriended Friends star Jennifer Aniston on Facebook.

He received flattering messages, some videos, and even a picture of a driver’s license, all in an attempt to convince him this was the real deal!

Paul shared he was scammed out of hundreds by the fake Aniston but he personally knows people who have lost a lot more money than him to other similar scams online.

“They make it look so real,” the Brit who is current unemployed shared.

He says he has been a target of other online scams, including AI-generated videos featuring Aniston, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg.

He says he is contacted countless times a day by scammers who claim he has won a ‘special prize’ and try to

Another fake video which was used to scam people featured Mark Zuckerberg as he shows a fake ID and tells the viewer, “This is not a scam, believe me,” and then insists he is a ‘real person.’

As for the scam involving Aniston, the scammers attempted to make it more romantic by referring to Paul with sweet words, such as ‘my love,’ and maintaining a flirty tone to win him over.

The scammer sent over doctored documents, including a driver’s license, to convince Paul that this was the real deal.

He was pressured into sending the scammer gift cards from Apple which are non-refundable. The fake Jennifer Aniston told him that her subscription was about to expire, hence she needed it as soon as possible.

Apart from fake IDs to convince Paul, Aniston also sent him videos where she told Paul she loved him. As a result, Paul sent over Apple gift cards worth £200. “I believed it – and I paid,” the 43-year-old shared, adding, “I got bitten. Once bitten, twice shy.”

He shared that this is not the only scam he is being targeted for, “It’s been going on for five months.

“I thought someone would get in trouble for this, but they seem to be having a laugh – and getting away with it.”

He shared that he knows other who have falled for the same thing, “Someone I know’s lost over a grand in Apple gift cards to these scams.”

He warned others to beware of falling for scams that are now rampant on social media.

“They’re asking for bank details, credit card info – everything,” he shared of his experience.

Paul is not the only person to fall for such a scam, especially as they become increasingly common. With the advent of AI, it is becoming even easier to impersonate other people especially celebrities who live such public lives.

Dr Jennifer Williams, an AI expert at the University of Southampton, said that scams such as these are just a more sophisticated version of phishing scams.

She shared some tips folks should be on the look out for to sniff out a scam. She said to be wary of pixelated images, odd phrasing, and using phrases like ‘don’t be afraid’ which are sent to provoke emotional responses in recipients.

What do you think of this man being scammed? Let us know in the comments below. Share this with others to give them a warning about the potential of scams these days.