A Chicago-area man lost tens of thousands of dollars after building what he believed was a real romantic relationship, only to learn the person he spoke with daily never existed.
The victim, who asked to be identified only as Grant Trust, says he met “Kay” on Facebook Dating in 2024 and quickly formed an emotional bond, Fox News reports.
Grant says he communicated with Kay every day for months through messages, voice calls and FaceTime conversations that appeared completely real.
Grant says the relationship felt normal and trusting. He saw her face, heard her voice and believed he was talking to a real person. Investigators now believe the interactions were driven by AI-generated deepfakes designed to convincingly mimic a human presence.
After months of daily contact, Kay introduced him to cryptocurrency trading. She told Grant she was making money and offered to help him get started. He began with a $100 investment and was directed to a trading app that showed what appeared to be steady profits.
Grant tested the platform by withdrawing a small amount of money. The withdrawal went through, reinforcing his trust. Over time, he invested more, eventually taking out a $40,000 loan to continue trading.
In total, Grant says he put $70,000 into the scheme.
When he later tried to withdraw a larger sum, the app suddenly locked him out. Realizing something was wrong, Grant confronted Kay in messages.
When he asked Kay why she was scamming people, her reply was blunt.
“Because you are stupid.”
Grant says he reported Kay to the authorities and filed complaints with the FBI and the Better Business Bureau. He also says he is now in therapy to deal with the emotional devastation while making payments on his debt.
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