She thought she was dating Jon Bon Jovi; months later, she realized she'd been scammed out of $10,000

A connection on Instagram

Pickett said she found a verified Instagram account toward the end of 2024. After an exchange of questions, the person told her his management would close the page if they continued messaging there, so they switched to WhatsApp or Telegram.

The person told Pickett he loved her. When she challenged him to name five things he loved about her, he listed details from their conversations. He also claimed he and his wife had filed for divorce but were keeping it quiet to protect his public image.

Pickett said she received flowers at her home without warning and threw them away. She told the sender not to send more or call unless they had arranged a time. She confided in her cousin Jerry, who warned her not to fall in love with the person.

Requests for money

The person later asked Pickett to pay for a supposed meet-and-greet. She said he advised her to use Cash App or PayPal rather than Venmo, and showed her how to send bitcoin through screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

In July 2025, he said he was flying to Louisiana and had arrived. He sent photos from a hotel Pickett recognized, but when she tried to enlarge one image during a call, he hung up. He later claimed his security team thought she was trying to record him for blackmail.

He continued directing her to websites and giving reasons they could not meet. Pickett said her doubts grew, and she began considering whether the relationship was a scam.

Finding out the truth

Pickett contacted investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller, host of National Geographic’s “Trafficked,” for help. The address they traced was in Lagos, Nigeria, and they used Google Earth to view the house. Pickett said she was shocked and could not stop crying.

She said loneliness made it easier to develop feelings for someone who told her what she wanted to hear. The experience still hurts, she said, especially because she had admired Bon Jovi since she was 14. Pickett appears in the National Geographic special “Super Scam Me,” which is set to be released October 17.