He thought he’d found his soulmate after a year of video calls with a nurse — and sent her $180,000. Then experts spotted her six fingers
Michael was heartbroken to find out McCallum was not who she said she was
The internet has made falling in love with someone miles away easier, but it has also created different ways of deception. Michael, a retired psychologist in his 70s from Queensland, Australia, thought he had met the love of his life online. Michael and Melanie McCallum, a nurse in her 50s from South Africa, had been talking to each other through text messages, phone calls, and video chats for 12 months. When McCallum said she needed money for emergency treatment, he sent her almost $180,000. Only after the money was transferred did Michael realize something was off with McCallum during a video call. He shared his story in an interview with A Current Affair on August 26, 2026, which has received 844,215 views since.
Scammed by love
Michael and McCallum's love story lasted for almost a year. The pair met online on a dating app and were doing long-distance. Michael admitted to the news outlet, "She said she was only about 50 years of age, and getting somebody interested [in me] was obviously flattering." Before giving his heart away, he thought he had done everything to make sure McCallum was real. He asked to see her passport, her South African ID, and even her registration as a nurse.
She showed him everything. During the course of their romance, Michael sent McCallum money whenever she needed financial help. He was embarrassed to admit that it was almost $180,000. But when he realized McCallum was not who she claimed she was, he decided to confront her in front of live TV.
The six-finger exposé
In order to catch McCallum, Michael asked her to cover her mouth with her hand during a video call and noticed that instead of five fingers, she had six. AI is famous for getting the number of fingers wrong in generated images and videos, making hands an easy giveaway. While his heart was breaking, Michael continued to call out McCallum's scam. He said, "Your name is not Melanie McCallum. The whole thing is a scam. Your passport is false. Your ID is false. So you are a scammer. Why don't you admit to it?" He pushed, "Just stop what you're doing, please...I've got somebody in Cape Town to check on your so-called lawyer/attorney. He does not exist now." That was when McCallum ended the video chat, knowing the jig was up.
Digital mask
Digital forensics specialist Dr. Priyanka Singh looked at Michael's 10-minute video call with McCallum. She mentioned the distorted earrings, chair, and hair were the first few tells that face-swap software was used. She explained, "You can imagine an actor wearing a digital mask, and the actor is doing all the acting, but the digital mask is kind of moving along."
Sadly, AI scam victims are becoming too common. As per reports published in MemeBurn, people have lost a total of $19,041,653 in scams involving confidence tricks or romance scams where AI was mentioned as part of the complaint. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey also revealed that 30% of Americans who lost money to an online scam said it affected them greatly, while 43% said it did not affect them at all, or just a little bit.
Michael may never recover his $180,000. He had filed a report against McCallum, but since the scam was based overseas, there was not much the New South Wales police could do. When asked about his future love life, Michael said, "I stopped all my internet accounts...the best way is to meet somebody in person, isn’t it?"
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