A Louisiana woman who believed she was in a relationship with rock star Jon Bon Jovi lost more than $10,000 to an impostor who used artificial intelligence to sustain the deception for months.
Leslie Pickett, a fan of the musician since she was 14, said the ordeal began in late 2024 after she commented on Bon Jovi’s verified Instagram account. An unverified profile contacted her shortly afterwards, claiming the singer wanted to connect with fans privately.
The relationship developed through frequent messages, declarations of love, flowers and convincing videos. The impostor also claimed that Bon Jovi and his wife had secretly filed for divorce. Pickett said the videos were so realistic that even a relative initially believed they showed the actual musician.
According to Emmy Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller, who investigates the case in National Geographic’s documentary Super Scam Me, the scammer waited seven months before asking Pickett for money.
The deception unravelled in July 2025 when the impostor claimed he was travelling to Louisiana to meet her. After sending photographs purportedly taken at a local hotel, he demanded additional payments for a supposed security clearance. When he requested a much larger sum in Bitcoin, Pickett began to suspect the truth.
She eventually contacted van Zeller for help. Working with a former hacker, they traced the suspected scammer’s internet protocol address to Lagos, Nigeria, and used Google Earth to identify a property they believed was connected to the operation.
Pickett said the betrayal left her devastated and nearly cost her home.
Van Zeller said the case illustrates how increasingly convincing AI-generated videos can help fraudsters build trust with victims before demanding money.
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