LEESBURG, Fla. – A Leesburg couple is out of tens of thousands of dollars after an alleged car giveaway from billionaire Elon Musk.
George Hendricks, 69, says his life “doesn’t really exist” anymore after losing nearly $45,000 to a scam that could cost him his home and his wife of 39 years.
“She wants to get a divorce,” Hendricks said. When asked if it was because of the scam, he replied, “Yep.”
The scheme started when Hendricks commented in an Elon Musk car giveaway group on Facebook, one of many such groups online.
[WATCH: Florida man thought he was interacting and investing with Elon Musk. Here’s what happened]
Elon Musk added legitimacy, Hendricks said.
Hendricks then received a Facebook message congratulating him on winning $100,000 and a brand-new car.
The crooks asked him to switch to WhatsApp, a free messaging app commonly used by criminals because of its private, encrypted communication.
Hendricks then got a personalized video message, which he believed was from Musk himself, promising delivery of the prize package.
However, he was told he had to pay $7,500 in cash to ship the car. Hendricks took pictures of the cash and sent it.
Soon after, he was presented with investment opportunities promising returns of $120,000 on a $10,000 investment.
When Hendricks expressed skepticism, he received another video message: “I’d never take advantage of you or your funds. Trust me with your whole heart. God knows I have no bad intentions.”
The scammers exchanged hundreds of messages with Hendricks, who ended up draining bank accounts and maxing out credit cards, sending nearly $37,000 more.
When no payout or car arrived, Hendricks filed a report with Leesburg police.
[WATCH: Dangers of AI deepfake images and videos]
Hendricks is not alone. This year, AARP reported on ads using Musk’s image to steal victims’ savings.
Kieran Human is the security enablement lead with cybersecurity company ThreatLocker.
“A deepfake video is something that’s being generated to look like somebody, but it’s not,” Human said.
The videos are not at all difficult to make and can be made in minutes, according to Human.
“With a 30-second, 60-second clip [of someone speaking] and you can make a video,” Human said.
Human said there are signs to watch for, like the body and neck not moving in the videos; even to take a breath, only the face moves.
But as A.I. improves, so will deepfakes.
“It’s just going to be a matter of time until people do start adding that breathing to the videos, and people are just going to have to be more cautious,” Human warned.
“I know it’s going on all the time, you just never think it’s going to be you,” Hendricks said.