Woman Scammed Out Of £80,000 After Believing She Was In A Relationship With Jason Momoa

Every once in a while we get a story about a person who was catfished into believing they were in a relationship with a famous person, and it always ends with the victim having their bank accounts emptied before realising that something fishy might be going on.

This one might be the craziest one yet though, and it involves a British woman who was conned out of £80,000 after meeting ‘Jason Momoa’ online.

Jane, whose name the BBC changed to protect her identity, was contacted on Facebook by an account claiming to be the Hollywood superstar (that might have been her first clue).

She says the experience has left her “ripped to bits”, and that she hopes sharing her story will prevent others falling for similar scams.

She told the BBC: “We just got to talking on Facebook.

“He asked me if I’d seen his films and I said ‘yes’, then he asked me to move on to WhatsApp as it’s encrypted and it’s safer as he’s a celebrity.

“The account looked real, it was all very clever.”

Soon enough, Jane was talking to people pretending to be Jason Momoa’s agent, lawyer, bank representatives and even his daughter.

She said: “They manipulated me. I’ve lost an awful lot of money – around £80,000 [from an inheritance].

“You feel stupid, but I just hope by me speaking it can help others.”

Jane and ‘Momoa’ spoke daily, and she felt they were building a “romantic relationships”, to the point that he asked if she would like to fly to Hollywood and meet him.

“He said he’d pay, then I was told I needed to. They never materialised.”

“The flights were just the start.”

“Then it was presents for his daughter. I had conversations with who I thought was his daughter who was turning 15.”

Jane kept sending money, and the scammer(s) kept dreaming up new scenarios so that she could send even more money. Eventually, they invented a legal battle between Momoa and his ex-wife and said they needed to fake documentation to show Jane and Momoa were in a genuine relationship.

Jane explained: “I was told he was fighting his ex-wife for the house and he said we needed a marriage certificate to keep the house. So I was gullible and I paid it.”

After sending her famous, multi-millionaire Hollywood actor lover who she had never met before tens of thousands of pounds, Jane began to question why she was sending all this money and getting “nothing in return.”

“It was one thing after another.

“When I got to £18,000 down I thought, ‘why am I paying for these? You’re the one with all the money, you’re supposed to be the celebrity.”

Jane called the scammer out, and Jason Momoa “promised” he would return her money but she would have to send more money to release the funds. Classic.

Amazingly, she did.

“I just kept sending the money. They’re so clever the way they do it and they make you feel like you are the one in the wrong. They rip you to bits.”

Jane finally contacted the police when the scammers, posing as police officers, said they were coming to her home to collect money. Jane reported it to Northumbria Police who confirmed the callers were scammers, after which Jane revealed her ordeal to detectives.

It’s actually a really sad and tragic story, as obviously we’re dealing with someone who is incredibly lonely and/or not the brightest bulb in the pack. Imagine how gutted and daft you would feel after being taken for a ride by a fake Jason Momoa online, even without having forked out £80,000 for the ‘privilege’. It’s absolutely brutal.

The BBC contacted talent agency WME, which represents Jason Momoa, for a comment but the company has yet to respond. I’m not sure what they would want him to say, really? I’m sure he thinks it’s terrible.

Anyway, I’ve got to get back to my chat with Kanye West on Facebook. Thanks for reading.