An 80-year-old woman in the UK lost £140,000 to romance scammers who used artificial intelligence deepfakes on Facebook, prompting a bank and police warnings about spotting online fraud tactics and securing vulnerable relatives’ finances.
Online romance fraud has taken a devastating financial and emotional toll on families across the UK, where overall scam losses surpassed £1.3bn in 2025. Criminals now employ increasingly sophisticated technologies, including artificial intelligence, to manipulate victims through fabricated identities on social media platforms.
How AI Deepfakes Fuel Online Romance Fraud
Helen’s 80-year-old mother fell victim after meeting a scammer on Facebook who used artificial intelligence (AI) to change their appearance in photos and video calls, creating a deepfake deception. Caught head over heels in love, the victim hollowed out a book to conceal £10,000 in cash and posted it to a Shanghai Hospital where the online persona supposedly awaited a life-saving operation.
When the demands for money continued, a second scammer entered the picture, claiming he had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom under threat of death. Over the course of the ordeal, she sent £140,000 to the criminals.
Helen first realized something was amiss when her mother accidentally forwarded messages meant for the fraudsters directly to her. The warning signs quickly multiplied as her mother grew increasingly secretive, spending long hours on phone and video calls while refusing to discuss who was on the other end.
Warning Signs Families Should Watch For
Recognizing that a relative is being manipulated requires vigilance.
- Sudden shifts in behavior or mood
- Secretive or evasive communication
- Frequent, unexplained visits to post offices or banks
- Unusual shopping habits, such as purchasing gift cards
- Atypical financial transactions, including new bank accounts or unexpected transfers
- Out-of-character online or phone communication styles
Attempting to intervene can be agonizingly difficult for relatives. Helen admitted feeling emotionally drained
while trying to navigate the crisis without professional guidance. Forensic linguist Dr Lis Carter, a member of the Scam Secrets team, notes that a family member stepping in often feels to the victim like someone is destroying
their happiness.
Strategies for Intervening Without Confrontation
Experts advise that relatives approach suspected victims with patience rather than hostility. Dale Richardson, a police fraud protect officer, encourages families to be curious but not confrontational
by calmly asking open-ended questions about how the relationship began and what the person has said.
Helen attempted this approach, striving to remain calm about the situation and open up the possibility that her mother could trust her so her mother might confide in her. When Helen eventually joined a video call with the scammer, she immediately recognized the deepfake technology because the image appeared fuzzy
and the audio was out of sync with physical movements.
Despite pointing this out, her mother refused to accept the truth, reacting with anger and claiming that Helen made her feel disgusted and ashamed
by trying to interfere in her relationship.
Safeguarding Bank Accounts and Digital Footprints
When personal persuasion fails, financial institutions and digital safeguards offer a vital line of defense. Helen secured a lasting power of attorney, which granted her legal authority to act on her mother’s behalf and set up safeguards for her accounts.
Jim Winters, head of economic crime at Nationwide, explained that they might be limited in what they can share for data privacy reasons, but they can take steps to safeguard the account once they know a customer is being defrauded, adding that they can spot the hallmarks very quickly and take steps to break that spell.
To date, the financial institution used by Helen’s mother has successfully returned £45,000 to her account.
Because scammers repeatedly re-established contact even after Helen changed her mother’s phone number three separate times, drastic technical measures became necessary. Helen ultimately replaced her mother’s smartphone with a basic device restricted strictly to standard calls and text messages.
Jim Winters also recommends completely resetting
a vulnerable relative’s entire digital presence by updating telephone numbers, email addresses, and social media profiles to cut off fraudsters permanently. As Jim Winters noted, that is what makes you visible and puts you out there, meaning that taking steps to reset all of that is extremely important.