An American woman lost more than $ 375,000 after being deceived by thinking that she was in a relationship with Virgin river actor Martin Henderson.
The 47 -year -old woman, named Lea, spoke of the scam in an interview with The New Zealand Herald This was published on Friday, February 7. She told the point of sale that she thought it was Henderson, 50, with whom she had communicated over a period of two years, moving even in New Zealand in December 2024 to be closer to him.
Lea said that she had been led to believe that the pair would get married and that she had to recover Henderson from Auckland airport on New Year’s Eve – but the crook pretending to be the actor sent to Lea a Message which claimed that he had suffered a frightened health in South Africa where he had turned there.
The same day, Lea’s friend sent him a Herald history About the philanthropic mission of Henderson in the city of Matakana. He was photographed healthy, standing next to a bicycle as part of an effort to collect funds for a new cycle path in the region.
Update: 01/16/25 at 12:53 p.m. He – Brad Pitt broke her silence after a woman presented herself by saying that a crook of more than $ 800,000 claiming to be the actor of fight and making him believe that the two were in a romantic relationship. “It is horrible that the crooks take advantage of the fans” […]
“I thought:” What is Martin in New Zealand in Matakana do during a bicycle rally when he told me that he was lying in a hospital bed in Johannesburg after a slight heart attack? “” Said Lea at the exit.
“My The head is everywhere and I felt very stupid to have opened my heart, “she said, adding:” I was seriously manipulated during certain very traumatic events in my life. »»
Lea and the crook first contacted when she posted on a Virgin river Fan page. She “left A message and received a message from his agent saying that Martin liked my comments and would like to send me a message, ”she recalls. “We succeeded immediately and we talked about favorite foods and common interests.”
Real Henderson, which embodies Jack Sheridan on the successful drama Netflix, shared a post via Instagram last year which warned its disciples of scams on such fansites and asked them to ignore the impostors posing like him. According to the HeraldLea’s crook reassured him that he was Henderson. She shared personal details of her life with him and, in return, the crook used AI to leave vocal messages expressing her love for her.
The representative of Brad Pitt establishes the file on time on the presence of the social media of the actors after the Spanish police arrested five people who have usurped the identity of PitT online. “It is horrible that the crooks take advantage of the strong bond of fans with celebrities,” said Pitt publicist Matthew Hiltzik, at Us Weekly in a statement on Wednesday, September 25. “And it’s important […]
“He told me that he wanted to leave the world of actor and live a quiet life in New Zealand with me – we planned marriage and three children,” said Lea.
The crook also asked for money and Lea transferred $ 30,000 to pay a private jet to fly from South Africa. The false Henderson then declared that the flight was canceled because it was in prison after having broken a contract. Lea would then have paid $ 10,000 to bail into prison and $ 5,000 for a commercial fight to bring it back to New Zealand. She claims to have transmitted $ 12,000 for gift cards as well as numerous Bitcoin transfers worth $ 5,000 each. She also bought 25 macbooks so that he could “create a new business,” said Lea.
Meanwhile, when Lea stole thousands of kilometers to meet and marry Henderson, she could only afford a seat in the coach.
She had already paid thousands of dollars to send a box from New Zealand to China, where she worked, which contained a diamond ring and Rolex watches. A bank has closed Lea’s long -standing account after its activity has raised money laundering alarms.
Arturo Holmes / Wireimage Sandra Bullock published a rare public statement after social media crooks usurped online. “The security of my family, as well as the innocent people who are enjoyed, is my deep concern, and there will be a time when I will comment more, but for the moment, our goal helps the forces of the […]
US Weekly contacted Henderson to comment.
The scam that affected Lea is part of a recent trend of impostors posing as celebrities and attacking vulnerable fans. Last month, a Scammage gave in a Frenchwoman Of more than $ 800,000 claiming to be Brad Pitt And make him believe that the two were in a romantic relationship.
“It is horrible that the crooks take advantage of the strong bond of fans with celebrities,” said a spokesperson for Pitt in a statement at the time. “But it is an important reminder not to respond to unlined online awareness, in particular actors who do not have a presence on social networks.”
