Deepfake Mark Ruffalo scams manga artist Chikae Ide

Japanese manga artist Chikae Ide has been scammed of more than half a million US dollars after being tricked by a deepfake version of Marvel's Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo.

The Asahi Shimbun tells how Chikae Ide was contacted on Facebook by someone claiming to be Ruffalo, who built an emotional trust with her, 'met' on video, developed a romantic online relationship, and were unofficially married online.

After the 'marriage', the scammer continually asked for thousands of dollars for plane tickets, hospital bills, and cash troubles, and even faked having cancer. Police have been unable to identify the person posing as Mark Ruffalo. 

The saga is told in Ide's new book Poison Love, and fictionalised in a comic with the same title.