Con artist posing as Jason Statham scammed British woman out of more than $25G
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A con artist posing as Jason Statham cheated a “starstruck” British woman out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a new report.
The unidentified victim said she thought the “Transporter” star had contacted her directly while she was on a Facebook fan page, BBC News reported on Monday.
“I thought, ‘Oh, that’s nice of him, talking to his fans,'” she said, admitting she “might have been starstruck.”
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The imposter sent hundreds of encrypted messages on WhatsApp and convinced his victim that he was falling in love with her.
The real-life actor is dating supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
In the messages, the faux Statham called her “baby,” “honey” and “darling” and asked her to “be the special woman beside me the rest of my life,” according to the report.
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He then came up with a sob story about financial difficulties because of a delayed film payment — even though Statham is worth an estimated $70 million, according to website Celebrity Net Worth.
His messages asked for the equivalent of $25,825 in installments and the woman admitted that she handed over hundreds of thousands — though she wouldn’t say exactly how much.
“It was a substantial amount, which would have made a difference to my life and my family,” she said.
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She claims she was targeted at a vulnerable time following the deaths of her mother and fiancé.
“I’m quite a strong person but obviously certain things get to you and you let your guard down,” she told the BBC. “I don’t feel like I was in the right place myself because of what I’d been through.”
The scam is being investigated by the Greater Manchester police.
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“When you see the relentless messaging that this lady got from this person and you see the grooming and the exploitation … the impact is extraordinary,” Det. Con Craig Moylon told the BBC. “Fraud is an epidemic. It’s the volume crime of the 21st Century.”
This article originally appeared on Page Six.