Ontario Senior Loses $900K to Crypto Scam Using AI-Generated Deepfake Video

An Ontario woman has spoken out about her devastating experience of losing $900,000 to a cryptocurrency scam that used an AI-generated deepfake video of Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Judy Skene, 86, from Sault St. Marie, Ont., fell victim to the scam in the summer of 2025 after clicking on a Facebook ad featuring a deepfake video of Carney promoting a crypto investment platform.

The platform claimed that an initial investment of $350 Canadian would be backed by the Bank of Canada, and Skene received a phone call claiming her investment had tripled in value. Over several months, she invested everything she had, including taking out a mortgage on her condo for $300,000.

However, it turned out that the entire operation was a scam, and Skene was defrauded of $900,000. Her financial situation became so dire that she felt like taking her own life.

A friend, Pat Probert, stepped in to help Skene during this difficult time. He also created a GoFundMe page to help her stay afloat for the next few years, as she had wanted to leave some money to charities but now needs financial assistance herself.