Scammers Steal Man’s Face to Defraud Lovers
For more than eight years, Hunter Bigham, a Mississippi father of three, has had his photographs stolen and used by online criminals to create fake identities. The scammers use his face to approach people seeking love, build emotional relationships, and eventually persuade them to send money. But the damage has extended far beyond the people who lose their savings. When victims discover the deception, some track down the real man in the photographs, mistakenly believing he is responsible for the fraud.
Bigham lives in Tupelo, Mississippi, with his husband, Johnny. He works as a sales executive and maintains a social media presence where he shares aspects of his personal life. Criminals have taken photographs from those accounts and placed them on hundreds of fraudulent profiles, presenting him under different names and invented backgrounds. Some impersonators claim to be widowed professionals, foreign agents, or workers stationed on offshore oil rigs. These fabricated identities help explain why they cannot meet their supposed romantic partners in person.
The scale of the impersonation has been overwhelming. Bigham estimates that people who have contacted him after being deceived have collectively lost approximately $1.4 million. At the height of the problem, he reportedly received messages from as many as 15 people in a single day. Victims have reached him from different countries, often after spending months communicating with someone they believed was a genuine romantic partner. Some were looking for answers, while others arrived angry, frightened, or convinced that Bigham had personally taken their money.
The consequences have included threats against Bigham and his family. Some people have accused him of being the criminal behind the fake accounts, despite his explanations that his photographs were stolen. One individual who lost a substantial amount of money threatened to damage his family’s reputation and contacted him repeatedly. Others have made disturbing statements about harming themselves. The situation has forced Bigham to spend considerable time responding to strangers, trying to calm them down and explain that he is another victim of the same operation.
The problem began in 2018, when unfamiliar people started contacting him about online profiles using his photographs. At first, he thought the accounts were simply copying his appearance to attract attention. That changed when people began explaining that they had sent money to someone pretending to be him. The stolen images were being used to establish credibility with people who wanted companionship. In many cases, the scammers created elaborate personal histories and excuses for why they could not meet, including claims that they were working overseas or stranded far from home.
The fraud can be particularly devastating because it exploits emotional trust rather than relying only on technical tricks. The FBI describes romance scams as schemes in which criminals build affection and confidence through fabricated online identities before asking for money or valuable information. A scammer may claim to have an emergency, encounter unexpected expenses, or need financial assistance to travel and finally meet the person they have been courting. By the time the deception becomes clear, victims may have developed deep feelings for someone who never existed.
One victim’s experience illustrates how convincing these false relationships can become. A woman in Europe believed she was communicating with a man whose photographs belonged to Bigham. The impersonator claimed to work as a geologist and later said he needed money connected to employment aboard a ship. She eventually lost approximately 48,000 euros, or about $54,000. After discovering that the same photographs appeared on other profiles, she realized the relationship had been fabricated. She eventually met Bigham in France, where he tried to reassure her that she was not alone and should not blame herself for being deceived.
Bigham has repeatedly tried to get fraudulent accounts removed. He reported profiles to social media companies, experimented with watermarking his photographs, and attempted to identify people behind the schemes. However, many of his removal requests were unsuccessful, and some accounts reportedly remained active despite complaints. He also contacted the FBI, although he said the response did not lead to a resolution. His experience highlights the difficulty individuals face when trying to remove impersonation accounts from large platforms, particularly when new profiles can appear after older ones are taken down.
The platforms have defended their efforts to address identity fraud. Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, said it removed more than 179 million accounts, pages, and groups for misrepresenting identities during the first half of 2026. The company also reported that artificial intelligence testing reduced reports involving impersonated celebrities by more than 80%. LinkedIn separately said that most fake accounts it removes are detected before users report them. These figures indicate that companies are investing in detection systems, although individual cases show that enforcement can still fail or take too long for people dealing with persistent impersonation.
The problem also affects people whose photographs are stolen without their knowledge or consent. Retired Army Colonel Bryan Denny has experienced similar impersonation, with scammers using his military photographs to create fake romantic identities. He helped establish an organization that works against romance scams and has reported thousands of fraudulent profiles. Former FBI financial crimes official Rebecca Keithley also described being impersonated online, illustrating that even people familiar with fraud investigations can become targets. The issue is therefore not limited to celebrities or public figures; ordinary people who share photographs online can also have their identities misused.
For Bigham, leaving social media would not necessarily end the abuse because scammers already possess copies of his photographs. He also feels that disappearing would mean surrendering an important part of the identity he worked hard to accept and share publicly. Instead, he continues trying to help victims understand what happened, even as the constant messages affect his family and personal life. The case demonstrates that romance fraud can create multiple layers of victims: people who lose money and emotional security, and innocent individuals whose identities are exploited to make the deception possible. Stronger platform enforcement, careful identity verification, and greater public awareness remain essential to preventing these schemes from spreading.
Key Legal Outcomes
- No court judgment or criminal conviction involving Bigham was reported in the case.
- The fraudulent use of his photographs raises concerns involving identity impersonation and potential fraud.
- The FBI has received complaints, but no specific enforcement action against the scammers was confirmed.
- A recently enacted law requires dating apps to warn users when they interact with someone previously banned for suspected fraud.
- Social media companies report removing large numbers of accounts for identity misrepresentation, although individual impersonation cases remain difficult to resolve.
Why It Matters
- Stolen photographs can turn ordinary people into unwilling participants in criminal schemes.
- Romance fraud can cause devastating financial losses and lasting emotional harm.
- Victims may mistakenly threaten or accuse the innocent people whose images were stolen.
- Social media platforms face growing pressure to detect fake profiles and respond effectively to reports.
- Users should verify online identities independently and never send money to someone they have not met and verified.
