A lonely bricklayer mourning the death of his mother travelled over 1,300 miles to meet his dream woman – only to discover she was an AI bot.
Edimar Rocha Martins, 49, believed he had found love online after watching videos of an attractive woman who promised him a new life on her farm.
The woman, who called herself Jéssica Oliveira, also known as Jessica Fazendeira, appeared in videos showing a rural lifestyle and inviting men to move in with her.
Her social media profile had attracted over 300,000 followers.
She reportedly promised to pay for Edimar’s travel costs and support him financially once they were together.
Edimar said he had been drawn to the prospect of a fresh start after his mother’s death left him feeling increasingly isolated.
‘I came in search of happiness,’ he said, explaining that he had hoped to find companionship after a difficult period in his life.
He travelled for over 36 hours by bus, leaving Imperatriz in northern Brazil on October 9 and arriving in Belo Horizonte, around 1,300 miles away by road, two days later.
Edimar Rocha Martins, 49, (pictured) believed he had found love online after watching videos of an attractive woman who promised him a new life
The woman, who called herself Jéssica Oliveira, also known as Jessica Fazendeira, appeared in videos showing a rural lifestyle
He walked around showing people photographs of her and asking whether they recognised her, but nobody could identify her.
He soon discovered that his dream woman did not exist and that the videos had been generated using artificial intelligence.
‘I had already walked around with several photos, showing them and asking if anyone knew this person, and everyone said no, so I felt deceived,’ he said.
Edimar admitted that loneliness had played a major part in his decision to believe the online relationship was genuine.
‘Sometimes, loneliness at home ends up causing a lot of trouble in a person’s life,’ he said, adding that this was why he had travelled to meet her.
The fictional woman had told him: ‘You’re going to live with me here on the farm,’ prompting him to make the long journey.
Edimar said he had spent his salary on the trip and was left with little money after discovering the truth.
He received help from Belo Horizonte’s municipal migrant support service, which provided food, access to a shower and advice about online scams.
He travelled for over 36 hours by bus, leaving Imperatriz in northern Brazil on October 9 and arriving in Belo Horizonte, around 1,300 miles away by road, two days later
The woman turned out to be an AI bot – a fact that the bricklayer understood too late
The authorities also arranged a bus ticket after he sought help, allowing him to leave the city on October 13.
Although he considered returning to Imperatriz, Edimar decided to travel instead to Tocantins, the state where he was born.
He said he might return to Belo Horizonte one day, but added: ‘When I go back, it will be in a different way.’
The case was reportedly the third similar incident in Belo Horizonte in less than six months after two other men travelled there hoping to meet women who turned out to be AI-generated.
