Based on the title, I figured the scam was just that he was basically trying to purchase a vehicle from an illegitimate website and simply didn't receive anything. And if that were the case, I could kind of forgive the victim. But reading the article... the scammers told the victim they won a car, then asked for them to pay for shipping, down payments, and other arbitrary investments. No, I cannot forgive someone who thought Musk was asking strangers for donations.

In the video, obtained by ClickOrlando, an AI-generated, deepfake version of Musk said: “My good friend Mr. George, I just want you to listen to what I’m telling you. I promise that you’re going to receive your package.”

Hendricks was told he had to pay $7,500 in cash for the car’s shipping, which he sent to the scammers. He was also asked to make a $10,000 investment and was promised a $120,000 return, the outlet reports.

After exchanging several messages with the scammers, he says he drained his accounts and sent them nearly $37,000 more.

At one point, Hendricks even told the scammers he was concerned about their requests, the outlet reports. But then, they sent Hendricks another video message, which said: “I’d never take advantage of you or your funds. Trust me with your whole heart. God knows I have no bad intentions.”