In a heartbreaking turn of events, an 82-year-old grandmother from Ponte Vedra has been swindled out of $200,000 by a sophisticated AI deepfake scam, aimed at exploiting her desire to secure a stable future for her autistic grandson.
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Maurine Meleck, a trusting grandmother with a heart full of love for her 28-year-old grandson Josh, was lured into an online investment scam. The scam, which used artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic the voice and appearance of a well-known doctor from the autism community, left her bereft of her life savings.
Raising Josh since he was a young child, Meleck has been a steadfast source of support for him, especially after his autism diagnosis at the tender age of two. “He’s wonderful,” she shared with affection. “I love him to death.”
With limited mobility and unable to drive, Meleck spends much of her time online. It was during one of these moments on Facebook that she encountered a video featuring the familiar doctor. The doctor’s video, which appeared genuine in both visuals and speech, promoted what seemed to be a promising investment opportunity.
“It looked completely real, his face, his voice, everything,” Meleck explained, recounting how she was drawn into the deceitful scheme. Her intentions were pure; she simply wished to bolster the financial security of her beloved grandson. “I wanted to save more money for my grandson, and so I fell for it: hook, line and sinker,” she admitted, reflecting on the painful lesson learned from this ordeal.
“It looked completely real, his face, his voice, everything,” she said. “I wanted to save more money for my grandson, and so I fell for it: hook, line and sinker.”
The video turned out to be a deepfake, a computer-generated imitation created using artificial intelligence. Meleck said the scammer gained access to her online banking information, draining the $200,000 she had saved for her grandson’s future.
“It was being held for Josh when I passed away,” she said. “I got very emotional and so angry with myself that I had difficulty functioning. I lost 20 pounds and couldn’t sleep because it went through my mind over and over again.”
The FBI reports that scams like these are rising sharply. Since 2020, the agency has received more than 4.2 million reports of fraud, totaling $50.5 billion in losses. Experts say AI technology has made it harder for people to tell what’s real online.
Officials advise people to look for inconsistencies in videos, such as unnatural blinking or mismatched lip movement, to verify requests using trusted phone numbers or websites and to question emotional or urgent appeals for money.
“People who steal from others, especially those in need, are just heartless,” Meleck said.
Meleck filed a police report with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
She says she’s sharing her story as a warning, hoping others will think twice before believing what they see online.
A GoFundMe has been created to help the family.
