Art gallery owner in the UK scammed by artificial intelligence

Simone Simms, an art gallery owner in Nottingham, UK, has revealed that she suffered major losses due to a scam created using artificial intelligence.

Simms was targeted by a fraudster impersonating Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan. Stating that she had held months of negotiations to organize an event where Brosnan's works would be exhibited and he would meet his fans, Simms later realized that the person she was communicating with online was actually a fake figure created with artificial intelligence.

Speaking to the British press, Simms stated that she was forced to close her 30,000-pound art gallery due to this scam and that her reputation was severely damaged. She also expressed that she had sold a total of 20,000 pounds worth of tickets to art lovers who thought they would meet Pierce Brosnan, but was in deep shock when she realized it was a hoax. Stating that people had the false perception that she was behind the incident, Simms said this situation ruined her reputation.

THEY IMITATED THE VOICE

At the beginning of 2023, Simone Simms, who contacted a Facebook page she thought was Pierce Brosnan's official social media account, stated that she wanted to exhibit the famous actor's paintings in her art gallery. Saying that she received a response shortly after from someone she believed to be Brosnan, Simms stated that they had a correspondence on Telegram containing about 200 messages regarding the exhibition and that voice recordings were also shared during this process.

In a voice message believed to belong to Brosnan, which imitated an Irish accent, it was said, "Simone, this is Pierce Brosnan, how are you? I apologize for not being able to set up a meeting. I've been quite busy lately. Please convey to your team that I am truly grateful for the exhibition invitation. I believe this exhibition will be a great success."

Simms stated that during a subsequent video call, Brosnan's image appeared on the screen but there was no audio. Explaining that the person on the phone said there was a technical glitch at that moment, Simms stated that she later realized this was also part of the scam.

"IT REALLY LOOKED LIKE HIS FACE"

Neil Adcock, one of Simms' friends who witnessed the video call she had with Brosnan, described what happened by saying, "It really looked like his face. He said his son set up the call and that the audio problem was on our end. This went on for a while."

BROSNAN TOOK ACTION UPON THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FAKE EXHIBITION

In November 2023, Simms put VIP tickets for the exhibition and the event where Brosnan would meet his fans on sale for 500 pounds. However, just three days after sales began, Pierce Brosnan's lawyers sent an urgent cease-and-desist letter to Simms.

After the exhibition promotions spread on the internet, the real Pierce Brosnan noticed the situation and issued a stern warning to Simms' art gallery. The famous actor stated, "I would never charge a fee to meet my fans," and expressed in no uncertain terms that he had no involvement with the event.

'I wish he had approached me as a victim rather than a criminal'

Stating that she was horrified by what happened and realized she had been scammed, Simms said in her statement to the press, "It was the worst period of my life and my reputation was destroyed." Expressing that she was hurt by Pierce's words, Simms said, "I wish he had approached me as a victim rather than a criminal. He should explain the facts to the public and clarify the situation."

Immediately after realizing she had been scammed, Simms refunded the 20,000 pounds worth of tickets to the buyers and was forced to close her art gallery in August 2024 due to the loss of her reputation caused by the incident.