Brazilian Bricklayer Sells All Belongings and Travels 1,200 Miles to Meet Online Lover Only to Discover She Was AI

A Brazilian bricklayer said he sold all his belongings and travelled more than 1,200 miles to meet a woman he hoped to marry, only to discover that she was an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated character.

Edimar Rocha Martins, 49, from Imperatriz, in the northeastern Brazilian state of Maranhão, told local broadcaster TV Mirante that he had encountered a social media profile featuring a woman named Jéssica Oliveira, also known as Jéssica Fazendeira.

The profile, which reportedly attracted more than 300,000 followers on TikTok, featured videos of a woman living on a farm and offering potential partners a home and financial support. Martins believed she was real and hoped to start a new life with her. The account's operator, however, denied communicating directly with him or arranging his journey.

Bricklayer Sells Everything to Fund Journey

On Friday, 9 October 2026, Martins said he sold his personal belongings to pay for a bus journey to Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil.

He arrived on Sunday, 11 October, convinced he would meet the woman he believed could become his wife.

'I sold all my things, I got rid of everything,' Martins said, describing the sacrifices he made to fund the trip.

However, his hopes were dashed when he failed to find her. Carrying photographs of the woman, he searched the city and asked people whether they recognised her.

Martins eventually sought help at Rádio Itatiaia, where he said he learned that the woman was an AI-generated character rather than a real person.

'I went to the radio station there, and they said, "No, that's fake news, that woman doesn't exist,"' he said, according to the New York Post.

AI-Generated Profile Offered Financial Support

Videos posted on the profile portrayed the woman offering to support a man financially and inviting him to live with her on her farm.

'I really want to support you, I want you to come to my farm and never work again in your life,' the AI-generated character said in one video.

These were public invitations to viewers, rather than established promises made specifically to Martins. The available accounts do not confirm that he exchanged private messages with the profile.

A subsequent statement posted through the account acknowledged that the character was AI-generated. The operator denied communicating directly with Martins and said no arrangements had been made for him to travel to Belo Horizonte.

The profile also promoted products for sale. However, the available reporting does not establish that its operator deliberately targeted Martins or personally persuaded him to sell his belongings.

His belief that he had found a prospective partner should therefore be distinguished from evidence of an agreed relationship or meeting.

Municipal Services Help Stranded Man Return Home

After spending his money on the journey, Martins ran out of funds and sought assistance from Belo Horizonte's municipal migrant support service.

The service reportedly provided basic necessities and arranged a bus ticket to help him leave the city. Reports said he was issued a ticket to Augustinópolis, in the state of Tocantins, rather than directly to Imperatriz.

Martins subsequently stayed with relatives in the Imperatriz area, according to local media reports.

He described his loneliness and desire for companionship when explaining why he had travelled, but said the disappointment had not ended his hopes of finding a partner.

'I didn't find her, but I'll find another one, and it will be in the same place I went, and I'll go again,' he said.

The Sun reported that Martins was the third man in less than six months to travel to Belo Horizonte hoping to meet a woman who turned out to be AI-generated. That reported pattern does not establish that the same account was involved in each case.