Katherine Goodson, a 67-year-old woman from San Diego, has found herself living out of her car after falling victim to a romance scam involving Keanu Reeves—the same one she once warned others about.
Goodson lost all of her savings to a fraudster impersonating the beloved actor, sending him more than $60,000 in funds via direct deposit, gift cards and cryptocurrency, fully convinced she was actually corresponding with Reeves.
Highlights
- 67-year-old woman loses life savings to Keanu Reeves scam, becomes homeless.
- The woman fell for the same impersonation scam twice, losing $60,000 in the process.
- Scammers groomed Goodson for two years, promising love and marriage. They became hostile after the money ran out.
- According to experts, older adults without support systems are at the highest risk for scams.
It wasn’t the first time she had fallen for a scammer pretending to be her idol, however, as in 2022 she sent a $500 gift card after texting with a criminal, but cut communications after she heard his voice.
The scammer was not alone, and taking notice of her vulnerability he forwarded her contact information to one of his colleagues who more closely resembled the actor’s delivery, building a relationship for the next two years.
“I was lonely,” Goodson said, ashamed of her actions.
A 67-year-old woman lost all of her savings to a scammer impersonating Keanu Reeves. She fell for the same hoax in 2022
Image credits: Samir Hussein / Getty
When the team of scammers found Goodson, they found in her the perfect victim: A good person with a broken heart.
The 67-year-old lost her husband in 2007. His departure left her with a pit in her chest that she longed to fill with affection. Her desire eventually turned into desperation, making the unlikely possibility of Keanu Reeves falling for her too good a fantasy to pass up.
After she turned down the first impersonator in 2022 and posted a warning online, a second one followed up with a message. The man, claiming to be the real Reeves, apologized for the earlier scam saying that he felt “awful” about her being duped.
Image credits: NBC San Diego
The pair then began exchanging messages, with the scammer slowly-but-surely grooming Goodson into believing that he loved her, speaking to her daily, and comforting her during difficult moments over the span of two years.
“He wanted to marry me,” she said, explaining how she started developing feelings for the man she believed to be Reeves.
The scammers carefully groomed the woman for two years, convincing her that “Keanu Reeves” had fallen in love and wanted to “marry” her
Image credits: NBC San Diego
Goodson sent the criminal tens of thousands of dollars through different means. Sometimes she believed she was helping Reeves himself, and others that she was covering for emergency expenses of his management team.
While her losses have been financially catastrophic, the 67-year-old explained that she felt she was stolen of not only her savings, but of her dignity as a human being.
Anshul Rege, a professor specializing in romance scams, explained how the scammers have developed an intricate method to prey on vulnerable people.
Image credits: NBC San Diego
“This is not like any other type of financial scam where they get your money and you’re done,” Rege told NBC. “They also rob you of the very essence of what makes a human.”
The method, employed by cults and sects, involves two crucial practices: love-bombing, and isolation.
“It’s called love bombing," Rege explained. "And what they do, they’re just showering you with all this attention and affection.”
The attention is then followed by a request for money, usually in the form of gift cards which, if not met, causes said affection to be withdrawn.
The scammers went from loving, to abusive as soon as her money ran out, forcing her to accept she had been deceived all along
Image credits: Lionsgate Movies
Goodson was content to live her fantasy where Keanu Reeves himself loved her in secret, and the scammers were all too keen to play along—as long as the money kept coming in.
However, things took a turn for the worse when her money finally ran out in August. Messages became outright hostile, insulting, shaming and attacking her.
“It was just a mess,” Goodson recounted, finally accepting the reality of the situation. “It was mind-boggling to the point that I didn’t know my head from anything.”
Image credits: NBC San Diego
Despite the emotional and financial toll, Goodson said that she wants to share her story in hopes others don’t fall for the similar scams in the way she did. “There is nothing that hasn’t already been done to make me feel any worse,” she said.
Her case is part of a wider trend, as according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, romance scams cost Americans $1.1 billion in 2023, with $1.3 million being lost to victims in the county alone.
“I’ve got 29 miles of gas left in my car, and that’s the lowest I’ve ever been,” Goodson revealed.
According to cybersecurity experts, older adults are at the greatest risks for falling for romantic scams, especially if they don’t have strong support networks
Enrique Moraga, a cybersecurity expert at a private firm, explained to Bored Panda how older adults are particularly vulnerable when it comes to these types of scams, requiring extra help and community support to be protected against them.
“The majority of older people lack a deep understanding of technology and the dangers it can bring,” he said. “This is made worse if they don’t have a support network, like family members, who can help.”
Moraga explained how in such cases simple awareness is not enough, as scammers are known to exploit the feelings of emptiness and loneliness of their victims, as exemplified by Goodson’s case.
“Public institutions should be educating people on these issues, and banks especially should take responsibility for providing this knowledge to older adults to prevent potential fraud," he added.
Moraga also stressed the importance of creating support networks for older adults in banks and communities, where they could ask questions and get clear, direct answers. “This way, older people would have access to reliable information, allowing them to feel more secure when navigating the digital world.”
According to the expert, the ever-evolving nature of internet scams means that both public and private institutions should participate in educating the public about the issue. “In particular, I believe the media can play a key role by providing educational content focused on the protection of personal data, and how it can be used to harm users.”
While many netizens felt for the 67-year-old, others weren’t so kind, blaming her for being “gullible” and “irresponsible”
Image credits: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
“No sympathy for this woman - how many times do women need to be warned?! Don't be so desperate!” one user wrote.
“It takes a special kind of ‘dumb’ to think that a globally adored action star would be cruising through Instagram, spotting your latest post, and saying, ‘Finally! The one! And she’s offering financial support!’ Seriously delusional!” another argued.
“Lonely people are the perfect victims for scammers. It's a sad reality.”
"Loneliness or just plain stupidity?" Netizens had little sympathy for the 67-year-old after she lost her savings to the romance scam
