An elderly man in Ohio claims he fell victim to an online scam that used artificial intelligence to impersonate Jelly Roll.
Now, he’s sharing his story in hopes of protecting others.
The Scam
Ronnie Flint says it began with a message claiming he had won $50,000 in cash and a brand-new car.
The catch? He’d need to cover shipping costs.
Skeptical at first, Flint says he was soon convinced by a series of A.I.-generated videos that looked and sounded like they came directly from Jelly Roll.
“I really thought it was Jelly Roll,” Flint told 2News. “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.’”
Losing His Last $70
On a fixed income, Flint didn’t have much money to spare.
But after seeing the video, he says he scraped together $70 worth of Apple gift cards and sent them over.
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“I even told him that I’m on disability,” Flint explained. “You know, this is all the money that I have for the rest of the month.”
The Wake-Up Call
Fortunately, a family member spotted the scam before Flint lost more.
They warned him, and he immediately stopped all contact and filed a police report.
“That’s why I called you guys,” Flint told the outlet. “Because I want to put it out there because maybe somebody else already fell for it.”
He added, “I don’t want them to fall for it the way I did.”
A Cautionary Tale
As A.I. technology becomes more advanced, experts warn that scams like this are becoming more common — often using celebrity likenesses to fool unsuspecting fans.
For Flint, the $70 loss was painful but manageable. For others, the cost could be much higher.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
