A Springfield man says he was scammed out of money by a fake account using artificial intelligence to impersonate country music star Jelly Roll.
Ronnie Flint told 2 NEWS he was stunned at how convincing the scam appeared, and he now wants to warn others before they fall victim.
According to Flint, the ordeal began when he received a Facebook message claiming he had won $50,000 and a brand-new car. The account then sent him a video that appeared to show Jelly Roll asking him to cover shipping costs for the prizes.
At first, Flint was skeptical—even after the page sent him what they claimed was the singer’s official driver’s license. But a second video shocked him.
“I really thought it was Jelly Roll,” Flint admitted. “When they sent the second video where he actually said my full name, that got me. I was like, wow, it really is Jelly Roll. He said my name.”
Believing the videos were real, Flint sent the scammers $70 in Apple gift cards, even though he’s on a fixed income: “I even told him that I’m on disability. You know, this is all the money that I have for the rest of the month.”
A family member eventually warned Flint that it was a scam, and he filed a police report. However, the fake account has continued to message him, demanding more money.
“They’re thinking I’m going to send them another $30 on the 3rd, which ain’t going to happen,” Flint told 2 NEWS. “That’s why I called you guys, because I want to put it out there because maybe somebody else already fell for it. I don’t want them to fall for it the way I did.”
