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.”
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 married to 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.
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.
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.
“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.”