Leslie Pickett fell victim to a scam that left her heartbroken and nearly homeless. For months, she believed she was communicating with Jon Bon Jovi, the rock star she had idolized since she was a teenager.
The impersonator messaged her constantly and even sent her what seemed like genuine videos, leading her to give him over $10,000. By the time she realized the truth, it was disastrous.
“My heart was shattered,” said Pickett from Louisiana. “I wanted to believe there was some good in him. But, really, there was nothing but bad intentions. That was the hardest part for me.”
Her story was shared in the National Geographic documentary “Super Scam Me,” where journalist Mariana van Zeller goes undercover to investigate online deception, including meeting a suspected scammer face-to-face in Africa.
According to van Zeller, “We’re in an era of scams.” She noted that romance scams are the fastest expanding sector of financial crime, affecting one in seven Americans. Awareness is desperately needed, she argues.
Pickett, who primarily used Facebook, found Bon Jovi’s verified Instagram account in late 2024 and decided to comment on one of his posts. Soon, she received a response from what appeared to be Bon Jovi, although the account wasn’t verified.
“He answered my questions in a thoughtful way, making me believe it was really him,” Pickett explained. “I wasn’t really savvy about those verification check marks. A girl can dream, right?”
The scammer claimed he wanted to connect with fans on a personal level, warning her that if his management found out about the secret account, it would be taken down.
Over several months, they exchanged messages often, sharing interests in music and more. He remembered things from their early talks, professed love, and even sent flowers. They eventually connected via video call, but unbeknownst to Pickett, she was interacting with an AI impersonating the star.
This faker claimed he was going through a quiet divorce while keeping his public persona intact.
Even when she showed photos and videos to her cousin, who was understandably skeptical about Bon Jovi’s supposed secret romance with her, he remarked, “That looks just like him!”
Pickett described their chats as feeling like she was talking to a friend. “He said he was just looking for someone normal who didn’t care about fame or money,” she said. Yet even with these doubts, she hoped it was true.
Everything changed when the scammer began requesting money.
“He mentioned an exclusive concert in Nashville with only a thousand tickets available,” she recalled. “I tried to buy some, but they sold out in minutes. He then offered me a meet-and-greet, stating that I had to contact his management since the tickets were gone.”
While Pickett felt something was off about cryptocurrency payments, she initially did not see them as a red flag because, after all, meet-and-greets are common. Her initial payments of $100 to $150 escalated as the scammer insisted that earlier transactions had not been processed. She ended up trying various platforms to send money, sometimes staying up late to figure it out.
Eventually, it dawned on her that the money was never returning to her account.
Van Zeller referred to the scam as a “slow burn,” emphasizing that the interaction began innocently instead of with demands for cash. “It wasn’t a straight-out request for money. It took months before he hit her up for funds. For her and others, the scammer wasn’t a stranger by that point,” she pointed out.
Today, the sophistication of AI makes detection even trickier. Van Zeller said she viewed some videos the fake Bon Jovi sent, noting the impressive quality. “These weren’t the old, distorted deep fakes. They looked very, very real,” she said.
As part of the deception, the scammer told Pickett he planned a trip to Louisiana to meet her and even sent photos from a recognizable hotel. However, when it came time for a video call, he quickly ended the conversation, claiming issues with security that he believed indicated she was trying to record him.
This only led to more requests for additional money to “clear” these complications.
At this point, Pickett realized something was very wrong. Reeling from disbelief, she contacted van Zeller for assistance.
Even after facing the truth of her situation, Pickett found herself questioning whether the person behind the scenes could be someone genuinely caring, not just a scammer.
Van Zeller, Pickett, and a former hacker partnered up to trace the scammer’s IP address, which led them to Lagos, Nigeria. With Google Earth, they pinpointed a location they believed to be where the scammer was operating.
Pickett had lost more than $10,000 and was buried in debt, with her home now facing foreclosure.
“I was devastated,” she said. “I kept thinking he could have come clean, but he took advantage of my affections. That was my breaking point.”
Currently, Pickett is working on rebuilding her finances while also dealing with the emotional aftermath of the scam. She has become an advocate for others who have been targeted, using social media to spread awareness about the risks associated with unverified online interactions.
“I just want to put a stop to this,” Pickett stated passionately. “It destroyed my family, it left me financially crippled, and it took a huge emotional toll. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
