Elderly Man Endures Three Round AI Scam Marathon Losing £35,000 In “Nest Egg Nightmare”

An 82 year old Lurgan man has become the unwilling champion of what might be the most exhausting scam marathon of the year after being hit not once, not twice, but three separate times by AI powered crypto fraudsters. Eddie Rushe only wanted to leave his children a comfortable nest egg. Instead, he ended up starring in a financial horror comedy written entirely by criminals with very good WiFi.

Eddie had never touched cryptocurrency in his life. He owned no laptop, had no interest in digital markets and was far more emotionally invested in his greyhounds. Yet all it took was one AI generated social media advert plastered with the faces of Keir Starmer, Piers Morgan and Martin Lewis to launch him into chaos. He believed the endorsements. He believed the opportunity. And he believed the woman who later introduced herself as his “financial adviser”.

The adviser, Sophie, conducted her scam operation with the enthusiasm of someone trying to win Employee of the Month at a fake company. Daily calls, constant “support”, and advice that included closing bank accounts, opening new ones and buying a laptop he never needed. After months of pressure and persuasion, £13,000 slipped from Eddie’s account into the hands of strangers who vanished the second the transfer cleared.

The stress of trying to hide the loss from his family weighed on him so heavily that Michael, his son, believes it contributed to the stroke Eddie suffered soon after. Coming clean brought relief, but also another twist. Once scammers realised he was vulnerable, they handed his information around like party flyers. Two more scam teams arrived, each claiming they could help him recover what he had lost. Two more pitches, two more heartbreaks, £20,000 more gone.

Even now Eddie receives scam calls daily. The difference is that he finally knows when to hang up. Michael is still working with the Financial Ombudsman Service hoping that some of the money can be clawed back, and he insists banks should have spotted the red flags long before the damage was done.

Experts say scams like these are no longer sloppy schemes; they are polished productions with fake celebrity endorsements, slick websites and scripts designed to make anyone feel safe. Once a victim is targeted, their details can circulate internationally, turning one scam into a recurring subscription of misery.

Eddie’s story is not just a warning. It is a reminder that in the age of AI, even the strongest common sense can be tricked by criminals who have turned deception into a full time business.