Manga artist loses $500,000 in deepfake romance scam impersonating Mark Ruffalo
Chikae Ide, a 74-year-old manga artist, was deceived by a scammer who used a deepfake video to impersonate actor Mark Ruffalo. Over 3.5 years, she sent approximately $500,000 to the scammer, believing she was in a romantic relationship with the actor. The scam involved requests for money, black notes purportedly containing hidden cash, and a fake marriage. Ide reported the incident to police in June 2021, but the perpetrator has not been identified.
- Date it happened
- 2018-02-01
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