Associated Incidents
- An American woman is distraught after finding her two-year relationship with someone claiming to be Kiwi actor Martin Henderson was fake
- She says she shared intimate details and took out more than $375,000 in loans to pay for a private jet, fictitious flights, Bitcoin and gift cards
- Netsafe warns scammers are 'skilled manipulators' preying on vulnerable people
A woman who devoted two years and poured more than $375,000 into what she thought was a romantic relationship with Kiwi actor Martin Henderson has discovered it was a scam after moving here to be with him.
The university-educated woman, who wants to be known only as Lea, was in daily contact with the scammer and only found out she had been tricked when a friend sent her a Herald article about the former* Shortland Street* star.
"I thought 'what is Martin doing in New Zealand in Matakana on a bike rally when he told me he was lying in a hospital bed in Johannesburg after a mild heart attack'," Lea, 47, said.
In December, Lea moved to New Zealand believing she was setting up a home and marrying the actor.
She was to collect 'Martin' from Auckland Airport on January 31 but he messaged saying he'd been rushed to hospital where he had been filming in South Africa.
The next day a Herald article showed the real Martin Henderson on a bike in Matakana - physically well and far from Johannesburg.
From there the intricate deception unravelled further - devastating Lea.
"My head is all over the place and I felt very foolish having opened my heart," she said.
"I was severely manipulated during some very traumatic events in my life."
The hoax is similar to the recent romance scam involving Hollywood actor Brad Pitt in which a woman was swindled out of $1.5 million.
Lea came into contact with the scammer after posting on a fan page for Virgin River, the Netflix show Henderson stars in.
"I left a message and received a message from his agent saying Martin liked my comments and would like to message me.
"We hit it off immediately and talked about favourite foods and common interests."
Lea shared personal messages over WeChat and Telegram with the person claiming to be Henderson.
Last year, through this official Instagram page, Henderson warned fans of the scams and urged people not to engage with anyone claiming to be him on those sites.
By then, Lea was too far invested and was assured by the scammer the warnings were for others.
She had shared the trauma of her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis, her mother's stroke, and her eventual divorce after an 11-year relationship.
In return, she received voice messages in Henderson's AI-doctored voice telling her she was loved and given promises they would be together soon.
Peppered through it all were the requests for money.
Elaborate tales of corrupt bosses, frozen accounts, and a movie star yearning to escape Hollywood for a simpler life, became the norm as the scammer begged for financial help.
"He told me he wanted to leave the acting world and live a quiet life in New Zealand with me - we planned marriage and three children."
Lea transferred $30,000 for a private jet out of South Africa but was told it was cancelled after 'Martin' was thrown in jail for breaking his contract.
There was $10,000 for the prison bailout, $5000 for a commercial flight after the release, $12,000 for gift cards, the pricey purchase of 25 Macbooks 'to set up a new business', and numerous Bitcoin transfers at $5000 a pop.
Running out of money, Lea said she could only pay for an economy seat.
Cue the recent heart attack in Johannesburg.
Months earlier Lea paid to ship a box from New Zealand to China where she worked.
She was told the box had work contracts, a diamond ring, Rolex watches, $148,000 in US cash, and a valuable Netflix-ready biography of Martin Henderson's life.
She paid $56,000 for fake invoices for a box that didn't exist.
Lea took new loans at different banks and used a Best Buy credit card with an US$85,000 ($149,805) limit to meet costs.
A bank account Lea had used for 18 years was closed after fraud specialists flagged recent transactions as "money laundering".
Lea is now seeking help to recover from the loss of what she thought was a genuine relationship.
Martin Henderson has been contacted for comment.
Sean Lyons from Netsafe New Zealand said scammers preyed on peopleat vulnerable times.
"People may think it naive to be pulled into scams like this but there are often multiple skilful operators at the end of these conversations," he said.
"For victims the financial loss is significant but they are also dealing with the loss of what they thought was a genuine relationship."
Help was available through Netsafe for victims of scams.