GitLab

It was the dream signing for the owner of an unidentified Nottingham gallery - an exhibit including the work of Hollywood actor-turned-artist Pierce Brosnan, who would also attend to meet fans.

But the gallery's owner has exposed how her livelihood and track record were 'messed up' after the Pierce Brosnan with whom she spent months negotiating the exhibition of a life time ended up not to be the Bond star however a 'deepfake'.

Simone Simms has actually promoted the very first time about how she succumbed to the sophisticated expert system (AI) rip-off which led to her losing her ₤ 30,000 Long Eaton gallery.

Ms Simms told The Mail on Sunday she was 'villainised' after selling ₤ 20,000 worth of tickets to art lovers with the pledge of meeting 71-year-old Brosnan, just to discover she had been duped.

Scammers used AI to generate a convincing likeness of Mr Brosnan video-calling her from his ₤ 80million house in Hawaii.

Ms Simms recalled 'how genuine' he appeared on Zoom and how she 'squealed with enjoyment that he remained in my living space speaking with me' before taking the bait and sending the fraudsters ₤ 3,000 for 'shipping costs' for the art.

Her nightmare began when she called what she thought to be Mr Brosnan's legitimate Facebook page at the start of 2023 and asked if he would show his paintings at her place.

She then says she was called by what she believed was the star and around 200 messages were exchanged between them on the Telegram messaging app, consisting of a variety of voice notes going over the exhibit.

The AI deepfake of 007 star Pierce Brosnan that deceived art gallery owner Simone Simms

Mrs Simms (imagined, left) fell victim to a fraud that led to her losing her ₤ 30,000 art gallery

More than 20,000 tickets were sold with the of meeting 71-year-old Brosnan, who scammers had deepfaked to resemble he was calling Mrs Simms from his ₤ 80million house in Hawaii

A Pierce Brosnan painting. Mrs Simms exchanged 200 messages by means of Telegram with who she thought was the Bond star

A TikTok lawyer shared a deepfake of me being racist ... I was sent home from work and nearly jailed

In one audio message, listened to by The Mail on Sunday, a voice with Mr Brosnan's unique Irish accent goes over the forthcoming exhibit.

'Simone, it's Pierce Brosnan here, how's it going? Just wanted to apologise for not having the ability to set up a meeting,' the voice says.

'I have actually been swamped recently. Please let your group understand that I really appreciate the invitation to the art exhibition.

'I have high expectations it will be a huge success.'

In a subsequent video call, Mr Brosnan's image appeared on the screen however the noise was off. Messages from the individual on the other side of the phone claimed there was a technological problem.

Two of Ms Simms's pals were also in the video meeting, one of 2 Ms Simms believed she had actually had with Brosnan, and were both fooled, insisting she was not an 'moron'.

Among them, artist Neil Adcock, said: 'It appeared like his authentic face. He said his kid had actually set it up for him. He said the sound problem was on our end. It continued for a while.'

Pierce Brosnan at the Art Miami VIP opening in Miami Florida

After the fake event was reserved, Mr Brosnan put out a statement damning the gallery, insisting he 'would never charge for a meet and welcome'

The genuine Pierce's art work. Mrs Simms advertised ₤ 500 'satisfy and welcome' tickets with the deepfake Mr Brosnan

Another painting the genuine Mr Brosnan. Mrs Simms says she wishes the actor would acknowledge her as a victim rather than a villain

Others have actually reported being contacted by a phony Facebook account, claiming to be Mr Brosnan. Pictured: One of the real Mr Brosnan's paintings

Sickening AI-generated kid abuse images are doubling every six months, Britain's FBI alerts

Meanwhile, after Ms Simms scheduled and marketed her program, the genuine Mr Brosnan saw an ad for the exhibition including his art online and issued a declaration damning the gallery, insisting he 'would never charge for a meet and greet'.

His lawyers sent her an instant cease-and-desist letter in November 2023, 3 days after she marketed the ₤ 500 VIP meet-and-greet tickets.

A 'horrified' Ms Simms realised her mistake and tearfully remembered: forum.altaycoins.com 'It was the worst time of my life and it tainted my credibility.

'Pierce injured me by issuing the statement. He needs to have done more research before he did since he would realise I was just a fan reaching out but he villainised me and that's where it began to fail.

'I wish he would acknowledge me as a victim and not as a villain. He requires to tell the general public about what genuinely took place and set the tone.

'I do not dislike him, since he is a victim too. People abused his image. If I knew it wasn't him, I would never ever have actually set up the exhibit or sold the tickets.'

A photo by Piers Brosnan portraying a green location on the coast

Ms Simms reimbursed the ₤ 20,000 in tickets however was forced to shut her gallery in August 2024 after the occurrence left her track record in tatters. Pictured: A painting by Pierce Brosnan

One of the real Pierce Brosnan's paintings depicting a female resting

As quickly as she understood she had actually been deceived, Ms Simms reimbursed the ₤ 20,000 in tickets but was required to shut her gallery in August 2024 after the legend left her credibility in tatters, with numerous still believing she had attempted to rip-off them.

Others have actually reported being gotten in touch with by a phony Facebook account, claiming to be Mr Brosnan, asking which of his movies is their favourite before requesting money.

It comes as last month The Mail exposed how a divorced female was duped into turning over ₤ 700,000 to a scammer impersonating Brad Pitt and requested cash to money his urgent kidney cancer treatment.

Mr Brosnan has actually been approached for comment.

NottinghamPierce BrosnanHawaii