A retired Scots lecturer has told how she was duped out of £17,000 by a ‘Deepfake’ lover in an elaborate romance scam.
The former neuroscience lecturer has revealed how she was conned out of £17,000 by an online scammer posing as a romantic partner using AI-generated videos. Nikki MacLeod, 77, from Edinburgh, fell victim to the scam after meeting someone claiming to be “Ala Morgan” on Facebook. The sophisticated con unravelled over months, involving fake documents, deepfake videos, and fabricated stories designed to earn her trust.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Nikki explained how she began speaking to the so-called Ala Morgan in a Facebook chatroom, but when that person mysteriously disappeared, another profile with the same name appeared. Her initial suspicions were dismissed as the two struck up a close relationship.
“She was such a good conversationalist,” Nikki explained. “I’ve spent millions of words talking to her on Facebook, WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram. Every conceivable social media platform you could imagine.”
Over time, Nikki received videos from Ala that she said convinced her the person was real. Nikki admitted: “She sent me those videos to convince me she was real. I was completely convinced and fell even more in love with her.
The scammer spun an elaborate backstory, claiming to work on an oil rig in the Aegean Sea. However, it soon became clear that the individual was targeting Nikki for money.
The scam began with a request for £2,500, allegedly to cover the cost of a helicopter flight from the oil rig to Edinburgh Airport so Ala could visit Nikki. The scammer introduced Nikki to a fake HR department at a fictional company called SBM Offshore to make the request appear legitimate.
Nikki, convinced by the convincing documents and Ala’s promises to repay her, sent the money. “Ala told me she had $1.5 million in her bank account and would pay me back,” Nikki said.
Shortly after, she was asked for an additional £12,000 to cover the costs of her partner’s extended holiday in Scotland. This time, Nikki refused. The ordeal escalated when the pair began discussing Nikki’s daughter, who was house-hunting in Aberdeen following a divorce. Ala offered to help by transferring £65,000 to Nikki from her supposedly vast bank account.
However, when Nikki accessed the account, she realized it was fake. “I was told to take the money and pop it into my account. Then suddenly, my account was frozen, and I started getting emails asking me to pay money to unfreeze it,” Nikki explained.
Nikki was left £17,000 out of pocket – although her bank and PayPal managed to recover her around £7,000.
What made the scam so convincing was the use of AI-generated videos. “Ala Morgan” sent Nikki personalized messages that seemed genuine. In one, the scammer said: “Good morning, Niki. I hope you had a wonderful night. The reason I am sending you this is because I want to prove myself to you and hope that this video proved you wrong with all of your negative thoughts.”
In another message, Ala added: “I wanted to reach out to you to show you that I am sincere and have no connections to any scams. Your trust means a lot to me.”
Reflecting on the ordeal, Nikki said: “The person behind it is almost certainly not a woman. It is probably a man somewhere in the world – who knows where they are? The images, I have no idea who it is. I have tried to find her myself through reverse image scanning, and I can’t. She’s obviously being exploited as much as I am.”
Nikki, who lost her partner and parents during lockdown, said loneliness played a significant role in her vulnerability to the scam. “I guess I was getting pretty lonely. I had a whole series of upsets. I lost my partner when she left with our two children during the lockdown. I lost my parents. I guess I was just looking for someone to talk to,” she admitted.
Her advice to others is clear: “Never, ever give a single penny to anyone you meet on the internet unless you meet them in person. You cannot trust anyone out there. I feel really stupid now.”
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