Edimar Martins deepfake video — Oct 2026

Edimar Martins, a 49-year-old bricklayer from Brazil, sold all his personal belongings and traveled over 1,200 miles to meet a woman he believed was his future wife. Upon arriving at his destination, he discovered that the persona he had been interacting with online was an AI-generated character created for social media engagement.

What happened

Martins first encountered the social media account under the name Jéssica Oliveira, also known as Jessica Fazendeira, in 2020. The account, which amassed 300,000 followers, featured an AI-generated persona that posted videos claiming to seek a man to move to her farm and be fully supported. Martins, motivated by loneliness and the promise of a new life, sold his possessions to fund a bus trip from the state of Maranhão to Belo Horizonte, arriving on October 11.

When he arrived, he was unable to locate the woman. Local sources informed him that the profile was fake. The person behind the TikTok account later posted a video confirming the character was entirely AI-generated, created with the intent of monetization through TikTok Shop and gaining engagement. The account owner explicitly denied ever having direct contact with Martins or anyone else, stating that the profile had been largely abandoned. After running out of money, Martins sought assistance from a social worker at Belo Horizonte City Hall to return home. Despite the deception, Martins expressed a desire to return to the city in the future to seek a real relationship.