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Medium reported severity Media Coverage

Alicante: a 78-year-old widower, advised by his therapists after a bereavement to socialise and explore social networks, sent 8,800 euros over about three months to a 'doctor from Kazakhstan' who courted him by email with photographs and videos the National Police later confirmed were AI-generated of a woman who never existed; part of the money came from selling his flat and he now shares a flat with three other pensioners

A feature carried by Levante-EMV on 25 September 2025 (byline C. Suena, sourced from Diario Información, photographs EFE/Morell) tells the story of a 78-year-old widower and pensioner living in Alicante who, after his wife's death in 2022 and two years of treatment for depression, was advised by his therapists to socialise and explore social networks. On 11 November 2024 he received an email from a woman presenting herself as a 43-year-old doctor in Kazakhstan seeking a serious relationship; with photographs and videos that were in fact created by artificial intelligence she won his trust, and a friend who warned him was rebuffed. Requests for money followed: 2,000 euros for a plane ticket, another 2,000 for unexpected expenses, then a supposed 10,000-euro deposit demanded by the Kazakh government; he never raised that sum in full but sent 8,800 euros in total, part of it from the sale of his flat in Benidorm. On his way to Madrid airport to meet her he received a final email saying she had been detained for carrying a family icon out of the country and needed a fine paid; he went to the National Police, who confirmed a scam: the images and videos were fake, created with AI, and the woman had never existed. He lost all his savings in about three months and now shares a flat with three other pensioners in Alicante; he told his story so that others would not fall into the same trap.

AI system
Unidentified image and video tool
Occurred
11 Nov 2024
Reported
25 September 2025
Event location
Spain
What the AI did
Relation unknown
Reported harm
Financial Loss
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Finance · Relationships · Everyday life
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 1 source
4 claims: 4 reported. 5 open questions
People reported harmed
1 person

AI system as recorded: AI image and video generation used to fabricate the persona's photographs and videos; tools not identified

What Happened

The feature (Levante-EMV, 25 September 2025; byline C. Suena, sourced from Diario Información, photographs EFE/Morell) reports that a 78-year-old pensioner resident in Alicante lost all his savings in barely three months to a romance scam created with artificial intelligence, convinced he was getting to know a 43-year-old doctor in Kazakhstan, and ended up sending a total of 8,800 euros. His wife died in 2022, a loss that put him into depression and two years of treatment; after the bereavement his therapists recommended that he socialise, open himself to new experiences and explore social networks. On 11 November 2024 he received an email from Ainur, a 43-year-old doctor in Kazakhstan who said she was looking for a serious relationship; with photographs and videos, in reality created by artificial intelligence, she won his trust, and when a friend tried to warn him of the fraud he turned his back on him. Requests for money soon began: first 2,000 euros for a plane ticket, then another 2,000 for unexpected expenses, later a supposed 10,000-euro deposit demanded by the Kazakh government to guarantee her return after visiting Spain; although he never managed to gather that figure he sent 8,800 euros in total, part of it from the sale of his flat in Benidorm (the remainder is not itemised). Hoping to meet her he bought a bus ticket to Madrid-Barajas to receive her at the airport, but mid-journey the last email arrived: she had been detained in her country for carrying a family icon, a work of art that could not leave Kazakhstan, and to free her a fine had to be paid or she would face prison. He began to suspect, went to the National Police, who confirmed what he feared: he had been the victim of a scam, the images and videos were false, created with artificial intelligence, and the woman had never existed. He now shares a flat with three other pensioners in Alicante, without money but willing to tell his story so that others do not fall into the trap, advising people to touch the hands of anyone they meet. The feature notes that the National Police warn of an upsurge in such frauds, which empty bank accounts and leave deep emotional scars on victims.

Reported harm

A bereaved 78-year-old lost all his savings (8,800 euros sent, part from the sale of his flat) over about three months to a romance scam built on AI-generated photographs and videos of a fictitious woman, and now shares a flat with three other pensioners; the loss and the police confirmation are his own account as told to the newspaper. The feature's remark that such frauds leave deep emotional scars is the National Police's general statement, not his account.

Outcome

Resolved

He reported the matter to the Policía Nacional, which confirmed he had been the victim of a scam and that the images and videos were AI-generated of a woman who did not exist. No arrest, recovery of funds or prosecution is reported. He lost all his savings (8,800 euros sent, part from the sale of his flat) and shares a flat with three other pensioners.

What remains unknown

  • Whether the police identified or prosecuted the scammers or recovered any money.
  • The tools used to generate the persona's images and videos and whether the emails themselves were AI-written.
  • The end date of the payments (about three months from 11 November 2024; not stated).
  • Whether the scammers were in Kazakhstan.
  • Whether the newspaper or an agency conducted the interview (byline C. Suena; foot credits Diario Información; photographs EFE).

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. The National Police told him the photographs and videos of the woman were created with artificial intelligence and that she never existed, as he recounted to EFE; the generation tools are not identified and the police statement was not inspected directly. The relation is recorded as unknown: the AI fabricated a third person's likeness rather than depicting, addressing or acting for him.

4 claims: 4 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported On 11 November 2024 the pensioner received an email from a woman presenting herself as a 43-year-old doctor in Kazakhstan seeking a serious relationship, who won his trust with photographs and videos that were in fact created by artificial intelligence; a friend who warned him of the fraud was rebuffed.

Causal attribution. His account as told to the newspaper; the AI origin of the images is the police conclusion as he relayed it.

  • levante-emv.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'El 11 de noviembre de 2024 recibió un correo que cambió el rumbo de su vida.'; 'Con fotos y vídeos —en realidad, creados por inteligencia artificial— logró ganarse su confianza.'; 'Convencido de estar conociendo a una doctora de 43 años en Kazajistán, acabó enviando un total 8.800 euros.'; 'Un amigo intentó advertirle del fraude, pero'
Reported He sent 8,800 euros in total over about three months (the source itemises 2,000 euros for a plane ticket and 2,000 for unexpected expenses, then a demanded 10,000-euro deposit he never raised in full; the remainder is not itemised), part of it from the sale of his flat in Benidorm, losing all his savings; he now shares a flat with three other pensioners in Alicante.

Causal attribution. His account as told to the newspaper.

  • levante-emv.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'un jubilado de 78 años residente en Alicante, perdió todos sus ahorros en apenas tres meses'; 'terminó enviando en total 8.800 euros, parte de ellos procedentes de la venta de su piso en Benidorm.'; 'comparte piso con otros tres jubilados en Alicante.'; 'Primero, 2.000 euros para un billete de avión. Después, otros 2.000 para gastos inesperados.'; 'terminó enviando en total 8.800 euros'
Reported When a final email said the woman had been detained in Kazakhstan and needed a fine paid, he went to the National Police, who confirmed he had been the victim of a scam and that the images and videos were false, created with artificial intelligence, of a woman who never existed.

Causal attribution. His account of the police confirmation, as reported by the newspaper.

  • levante-emv.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'Se dirigió a la Policía Nacional, donde confirmaron lo que tanto temía: había sido víctima de una estafa. Las imágenes y vídeos eran falsos, creados con inteligencia artificial, y la mujer nunca había existido.'
Reported After his second wife's death in 2022 and two years of treatment for depression, his therapists had recommended that he socialise and explore social networks, which is how the contact began.

Causal attribution. His account as told to the newspaper; context, not causation.

Sources

1 source inspected. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read live in Spanish on 2026-09-23 (Levante-EMV, 25 September 2025; byline C. Suena; foot of the article credits Diario Información; photographs EFE/Morell). Feature built on the victim's interview. Translated by the reviewer. Applies to s1.

Event countries: Spain. Affected-person countries: Spain. Court countries: Unknown.

He lived in Benidorm and now lives in Alicante and reported to the Policía Nacional (Levante-EMV); the emails and payments are presumed to have been received and sent from Spain, which the article does not state expressly; the scammers' claimed location (Kazakhstan) is not established. No court proceeding is reported.

Reviewed for publication 2026-09-23: Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an ordinary financial and relational adverse experience: an elderly bereaved man lost all his savings to a romance scam sustained by AI-generated photographs and videos of a non-existent woman, told in his own words to a Prensa Ibérica newspaper with the police confirmation as he relayed it (one chain, all claims reported). His name and biography beyond the case are withheld here although he chose to be named in the source.

People described

A 78-year-old widower and pensioner living in Alicante; named and photographed in the source with his consent, not named here

People reported harmed in this case

1 person

0 AI participants · 1 other person harmed

One person, the pensioner who sent the money (EFE feature). Exact 1.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#romance-scam#ai-generated-persona#spain#alicante#elderly#financial-loss#bereavement

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Alicante: a 78-year-old widower, advised by his therapists after a bereavement to socialise and explore social networks, sent 8,800 euros over about three months to a 'doctor from Kazakhstan' who courted him by email with photographs and videos the National Police later confirmed were AI-generated of a woman who never existed; part of the money came from selling his flat and he now shares a flat with three other pensioners. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2024-alicante-pensioner-ai-generated-persona-romance-scam

BibTeX

@misc{2024_alicante_pensioner_ai_generated_persona_romance_scam,
  title = {Alicante: a 78-year-old widower, advised by his therapists after a bereavement to socialise and explore social networks, sent 8,800 euros over about three months to a 'doctor from Kazakhstan' who courted him by email with photographs and videos the National Police later confirmed were AI-generated of a woman who never existed; part of the money came from selling his flat and he now shares a flat with three other pensioners},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2024-alicante-pensioner-ai-generated-persona-romance-scam}
}

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