A 47-year-old American woman named Lea lost over $375,000 in a scam where she believed she was in a relationship with Martin Henderson, the actor from Virgin River. Over two years, she communicated with someone she thought was Henderson, even moving to New Zealand in December 2024 to be closer to him. The scammer, posing as Henderson, convinced her they would marry and asked for money for various reasons, including a private jet, bail, and business setup. Lea transferred $30,000 for a jet, $10,000 for bail, $5,000 for a flight, $12,000 in gift cards, and multiple Bitcoin transfers of $5,000 each. She also bought 25 Macbooks for his supposed new business. The scam came to light when Henderson was seen in good health in New Zealand, contradicting the scammer’s story of being hospitalized in South Africa. This incident highlights a growing trend of celebrity impersonation scams, with another case involving a French woman losing over $800,000 to a Brad Pitt imposter.
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