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Florida Man Loses $37K in Elon Musk Deepfake Scam

12/16/2025

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Summary

Story summary

A Florida man named Hendricks lost nearly $37,000 to scammers impersonating Elon Musk via deepfake videos.
The scammers told him he won a car and $100,000, then demanded $7,500 for shipping and a $10,000 investment with a $120,000 return.
Despite concerns, Hendricks was manipulated, as the scammers claimed they had good intentions.
Amy Nofziger of AARP notes that such scams are rising and exploit Musk’s fame to trigger FOMO.

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Story summary

A Florida man named Hendricks lost nearly $37,000 to scammers impersonating Elon Musk via deepfake videos.
The scammers told him he won a car and $100,000, then demanded $7,500 for shipping and a $10,000 investment with a $120,000 return.
Despite concerns, Hendricks was manipulated, as the scammers claimed they had good intentions.
Amy Nofziger of AARP notes that such scams are rising and exploit Musk’s fame to trigger FOMO.