It was the dream finalizing for the owner of an unidentified Nottingham gallery - an exhibition featuring the work of Hollywood actor-turned-artist Pierce Brosnan, who would also take care of meet fans.
But the gallery's owner has actually revealed how her livelihood and track record were 'ruined' after the Pierce Brosnan with whom she spent months working out the exhibit of a lifetime 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 fancy synthetic intelligence (AI) fraud 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 fans with the promise of conference 71-year-old Brosnan, just to discover she had been deceived.
Scammers utilized AI to create a convincing likeness of Mr Brosnan video-calling her from his ₤ 80million home in Hawaii.
Ms Simms recalled 'how genuine' he appeared on Zoom and how she 'squealed with enjoyment that he remained in my living-room speaking with me' before taking the bait and sending out the scammers ₤ 3,000 for 'shipping costs' for the art.
Her headache began when she contacted what she thought to be Mr Facebook page at the start of 2023 and asked if he would show his paintings at her venue.
She then says she was called by what she believed was the star and around 200 messages were exchanged in between them on the Telegram messaging app, consisting of a number of voice notes going over the exhibit.
The AI deepfake of 007 star Pierce Brosnan that duped art gallery owner Simone Simms
Mrs Simms (pictured, left) succumbed to a rip-off that led to her losing her ₤ 30,000 art gallery
More than 20,000 tickets were sold with the pledge of meeting 71-year-old Brosnan, wiki.whenparked.com 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 via Telegram with who she believed was the Bond star
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In one audio message, listened to by The Mail on Sunday, a voice with Mr Brosnan's distinctive Irish accent discusses the upcoming exhibition.
'Simone, it's Pierce Brosnan here, how's it going? Just wished to apologise for not being able to establish a conference,' the voice states.
'I have actually been swamped recently. Please let your team understand that I genuinely value the invitation to the art exhibition.
'I have high expectations it will be a substantial success.'
In a subsequent video call, Mr Brosnan's image appeared on the screen but the sound was off. Messages from the person on the other side of the phone claimed there was a technological problem.
Two of Ms Simms's friends were also in the video conference, one of 2 Ms Simms believed she had actually had with Brosnan, and classifieds.ocala-news.com were both fooled, insisting she was not an 'moron'.
Among them, artist Neil Adcock, said: 'It appeared like his real face. He said his kid had actually set it up for him. He said the sound problem was on our end. It brought on for a while.'
Pierce Brosnan at the Art Miami VIP opening in Miami Florida
After the phony occasion was booked, Mr Brosnan put out a statement damning the gallery, insisting he 'would never charge for systemcheck-wiki.de a satisfy and welcome'
The genuine Pierce's artwork. Mrs Simms advertised ₤ 500 'fulfill and greet' tickets with the deepfake Mr Brosnan
Another painting the real Mr Brosnan. Mrs Simms says she wants the star would acknowledge her as a victim rather than a villain
Others have reported being called by a phony Facebook account, claiming to be Mr Brosnan. Pictured: One of the genuine Mr Brosnan's paintings
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Meanwhile, after Ms Simms booked and marketed her show, the genuine Mr Brosnan saw an ad for funsilo.date the exhibit featuring his art online and issued a statement damning the gallery, insisting he 'would never ever charge for a satisfy and welcome'.
His lawyers sent her an instant cease-and-desist letter in November 2023, three days after she marketed the ₤ 500 VIP meet-and-greet tickets.
A 'frightened' Ms Simms realised her mistake and tearfully remembered: townshipmarket.co.za 'It was the worst time of my life and it tainted my track record.
'Pierce injured me by providing the statement. He ought to have done more research before he did because he would understand I was just a fan connecting but he villainised me which's where it started to fail.
'I wish he would acknowledge me as a victim and not as a villain. He requires to inform the general public about what really occurred and set the tone.
'I do not hate him, because he is a victim too. People abused his picture. If I understood it wasn't him, I would never have actually set up the exhibition or sold the tickets.'
A photo by Piers Brosnan illustrating a green location on the coast
Ms Simms refunded the ₤ 20,000 in tickets however was required to shut her gallery in August 2024 after the event left her credibility in tatters. Pictured: A painting by Pierce Brosnan
Among the real Pierce Brosnan's paintings illustrating a lady lying down
As quickly as she understood she had actually been deceived, Ms Simms refunded the ₤ 20,000 in tickets but was forced to shut her gallery in August 2024 after the saga left her credibility in tatters, with numerous still thinking she had tried to rip-off them.
Others have reported being contacted by a phony Facebook account, claiming to be Mr Brosnan, asking which of his films is their favourite before requesting for cash.
It comes as last month The Mail revealed how a divorced lady was deceived into turning over ₤ 700,000 to a fraudster impersonating Brad Pitt and requested money to money his immediate kidney cancer treatment.
Mr Brosnan has been approached for comment.
NottinghamPierce BrosnanHawaii
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How aI Deepfake of 007 Star Left Art Gallery Owner's World in Tatters
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