[AU] - Retired psychologist loses $180k to deepfake…

In August 2026, a retired psychologist in his 70s named Michael lost $180,000 to an elaborate romance scam that spanned 12 months. Michael believed he was in a long-distance relationship with a nurse named Melanie, whom he met on a dating app. Despite early suspicions, his doubts were suppressed when the scammers provided forged identity documents, including a passport and nurse registration certificate, and utilized convincing video calls to sustain the ruse.

What happened

The attackers employed a multi-layered approach to deception, combining stolen social media images from an unsuspecting American doctor with YouTube videos to create a consistent digital persona. During video calls, the fraudsters used voice-cloning technology alongside face-swapping software to mimic the appearance and speech of the woman Michael believed he was courting. When visual glitches occurred—such as the chair changing shape or the software struggling to render the actor's movements—the scammers deflected scrutiny by blaming a poor internet connection.

Digital forensics expert Dr. Priyanka Singh identified several indicators of the fraud, including subtle distortions around earrings and stray hairs. The final "gotcha" moment occurred when the scammer brushed their face, briefly revealing a hand with six fingers. Throughout the year-long relationship, Michael sent $180,000 to the scammers despite warnings from his bank. The fraud was ultimately exposed when Michael confronted the person on a video call while they were attempting to solicit an additional $7,000. Following the confrontation, the scammer disconnected, and subsequent police investigations determined that the perpetrators were located overseas, making recovery of the funds unlikely.