73-year-old woman loses $100,000 to romance scam impersonating Kevin Costner via manipulated photos and social media messages

Summary

A 73-year-old woman named Margaret was scammed out of approximately $100,000 in bitcoin after being targeted in a romance scam involving a fake identity impersonating actor Kevin Costner. The scammer, posing as Costner, convinced her he needed financial help to launch a production company and promised her a role in it. Over several months, Margaret sent weekly bitcoin payments while believing the scammer was genuine, based on manipulated photos and messages. The scam came to a head when the fake Costner sent her a photo of a mangled car, claiming he had been in an accident and could not meet her as planned. The incident highlights the growing use of AI and social media in celebrity impersonation scams, which often target vulnerable individuals, particularly older adults. Hollywood figures and organizations are increasingly pushing for legislation to combat AI-generated deep fakes used in such scams.