Ioan Gruffudd Says ‘Explicit and Disturbing’ AI Scam Convinced Fan They Had an Illicit Romance

Ioan Gruffudd, the actor known for his roles in "Fantastic Four" and "Elsbeth," issued a warning to his fans after being alerted to an alarming AI scam. The scam involved an individual who deceived a fan into believing a romantic extramarital relationship with Gruffudd had existed for over a year. The victim, who was attending a Chattanooga Comic Con, was shown hundreds of explicit and disturbing AI-generated images and videos purportedly sent by Gruffudd himself over the course of a year via Telegram.

Gruffudd first learned of the scam when he was approached by the victim at the convention. He described the woman's distressing experience in an Instagram post, stating, "A woman came to a convention I was recently attending and she was under the impression that she was in an extramarital relationship with me for over a year." The actor revealed that the scammer obtained the victim's phone number through an "Elsbeth" TV series Facebook page and communicated primarily via Telegram.

Gruffudd emphasized that he never gives out his cell number to unknown individuals and urged his fans to exercise caution. He advised anyone who believes they are communicating with him through non-official channels to disregard such contact and not to engage or send any money. Gruffudd has reported the incident to the police and provided authorities with the victim's cell number.

The actor made a crucial clarification on his Instagram story, stating that no financial scam had taken place. He noted that the victim never requested or sent any money and that she never questioned the scammer's identity. Gruffudd expressed concern for the victim and emphasized the importance of vigilance in preventing similar occurrences.