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Maurine Meleck has a grandson Joshua, 28, who was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half years old. (Pix via Maurine Meleck \/ SWNS)<\/p>\nAn 82-year-old grandmother lost nearly $200,000 after scammers used an AI-generated deepfake of a doctor to convince her to convert her retirement savings into cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n
Maurine Meleck has a grandson Joshua, 28, who was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half years old. (Pix via Maurine Meleck \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
Maurine Meleck, a retired teacher, watched a video on Facebook which appeared to show Dr. Pierre Kory saying if he had access to her information, he would put it into a \u201cspecial fund\u201d that would increase in value.<\/p>\n
The fake AI Dr. Kory \u2013 famed during the COVID-19 pandemic for advocating ineffective treatments like ivermectin \u2013 convinced her to move her retirement savings from the stock market into cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n
Meleck hoped the investment would help secure future care for her autistic grandson and \u201csignificantly increase\u201d her money, and trusted Dr. Kory due to his controversial views on the condition.<\/p>\n
Police later determined she had been communicating online with an impostor and told her the money was unlikely to be recovered.<\/p>\n
Now facing financial ruin, Meleck, from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, is warning others about increasingly sophisticated AI-driven scams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve really respected Dr. Kory for a long time, and it apparently was an AI, which I don\u2019t understand that much about,\u201d Meleck said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it was him talking, and he was recommending a way to increase my money using crypto.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Maurine Meleck has a grandson Joshua, 28, who was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half years old. (Pix via Maurine Meleck \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
The scam began in October 2024 when Meleck encountered what she believed was a video of the doctor she had long admired.<\/p>\n
The deepfake technology was so convincing that she never questioned its authenticity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a video of him talking,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was obviously AI, and I don\u2019t know how that works, but I believed it, and I fell for it, and I have nobody to blame but myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meleck\u2019s motivation for the investment was deeply personal.<\/p>\n
She had dedicated her life to caring for her grandson Joshua, 28, who was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half years old.<\/p>\n
She retired at 61 to provide full-time care after moving him into her home when he was six.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy idea was to make more money so that I could put it away for Josh when I passed away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The retiree, who holds degrees in history and political science, said she became suspicious when she tried to withdraw some of her investment.<\/p>\n
The devastating realization came when police arrived to investigate her report on November 11, 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said that in all likelihood, I would not get my money back,\u201d Meleck said.<\/p>\n
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Maurine Meleck with her grandson Joshua, 28, who was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half years old. (Pix via Maurine Meleck \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
According to the police report, Meleck communicated via Facebook Messenger with an individual posing as Dr. Pierre Kory.<\/p>\n
The individual advised her that she could increase her investment returns by using the so-called Quantum Financial System (QFS).<\/p>\n
Following these communications, Meleck sent money by email and check for the purported investments.<\/p>\n
Meleck was unable to identify to the police who ultimately received the funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just devastated,\u201d Meleck said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost 20 pounds. I couldn\u2019t eat. I couldn\u2019t sleep. I just was so angry with myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now living in a $1,650-per-month apartment that has nearly doubled in rent since she moved there 10 years ago, Meleck faces an uncertain financial future.<\/p>\n
She has raised approximately $18,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to help secure Joshua\u2019s care.<\/p>\n
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Maurine Meleck has a grandson Joshua, 28, who was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half years old. (Pix via Maurine Meleck \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n
The grandmother said the IRS told her that resolving tax complications from the scam would take 585 days due to government closures.<\/p>\n
Now, Meleck remains focused on her grandson\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still think about it, and I still feel angry with myself, but not as much as I used to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, one has to move on, and I still have Josh here, and I still have to take care of him. So I have to move on. I have no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her message to the scammers reflects both her pain and outrage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not understand people who steal money, particularly from those in great need and someone who has raised a person with autism,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think that there are some horrible people in the world, and you, the scammer, are one of them. You\u2019re atrocious. It\u2019s a terrible thing you\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n