In the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais state), 49-летний construction worker Edimar Martins lost all his belongings after believing an online romance with a young blonde named Jessica. The man sold all his property, boarded a bus, and traveled for 36 hours across approximately 2,000 kilometers to meet a woman who claimed she lived alone on a farm and promised him 'royal conditions' for living together. Upon arriving in the city, Edimar discovered that Jessica did not exist: her photos and videos had been generated using artificial intelligence. The local radio station Itatiaia reported on the incident on October 19, 2026.
Online dating and promises of 'royal life'
According to Edimar Martins, he met Jessica on the internet. The woman introduced herself as a lonely blonde living on a farm in Minas Gerais and invited him to visit her. During their correspondence, she convincingly described the prospects of living together, promising 'royal conditions.' The man, according to his own account, believed in the sincerity of his interlocutor and made a decision to radically change his life: he sold off all his property to free up funds and psychologically 'start with a clean slate' in a new place.
36 hours on a bus and searching through photos
The bus ride from Edimar's home to Belo Horizonte took 36 hours. Upon arriving in the city, the man faced his first major problem: he did not have 'Jessica's' exact address. Not knowing where to go, Edimar began showing the woman's photographs to passersby on the streets in the hope that someone would recognize her and show him the way. Having achieved no results, he turned to a local radio station, where he was told the truth: Jessica was not a real person, but a virtual persona created using artificial intelligence technologies.
Profile creator denies personal contact
The person behind the creation of 'Jessica's' account stated in a conversation with journalists that he had never personally communicated with Edimar Martins. According to him, the man misunderstood the videos posted on the profile and mistook words addressed to someone else for a personal proposal meant specifically for him. The anonymous creator also reported that the profile was launched solely for commercial purposes — to build an audience and advertise products. Thus, according to his version, no romantic or even business dialogue ever existed between him and Edimar.
Not the first case: the city compensates expenses
According to Radio Itatiaia, Edimar's story is not unique: previously, two other men, believing similar virtual personas, had also arrived in Belo Horizonte hoping to meet their 'beloveds.' Following the incident with Edimar Martins, the city administration covered the cost of his return bus ticket home. The case attracted the attention of local and federal media and once again raised the issue of the growing threat posed by AI-generated content, which in the context of the mass proliferation of neural networks is becoming virtually indistinguishable from real people.
A lesson for users: verify before you believe
Experts commenting on such stories emphasize that image and video generation technologies have reached a level where a fabricated character can sustain multi-day correspondence, answer questions, and even 'call' in a video chat. In Edimar Martins' case, the key factor was a combination of circumstances: emotional vulnerability, lack of an exact address, and a willingness to sacrifice property for a promised future. The story became a clear example of why, before making any serious decisions based on online dating, one must recheck information through independent sources and, if possible, conduct real-time video communication.
