'How I lost £80K to fake Jason Momoa Facebook scammers'

Criminals posed as Jason Momoa, his agents, lawyers, bank manager and daughter to con Jane

A woman conned out of tens of thousands of pounds by scammers who posed as Hollywood actor Jason Momoa says she was left feeling "ripped to bits". Now she hopes sharing her story will prevent others falling for similar crimes.

Jane, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was contacted on social media by an account claiming to be that of a true Hollywood A-lister.

"We just got to talking on Facebook," she recalled.

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

"They manipulated me," she said. "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."

The BBC has protected Jane's anonymity during our interviews, but she wanted to tell her story to help others

When communicating with the scammers, Jane felt as though she was building a "romantic relationship" with the Aquaman star, speaking daily via the accounts.

"He'd put me in touch with other people which he said was his management, then it was his lawyers or bank managers.

"Over time I spoke to loads."

The first request for money was to pay for flights to travel to meet Momoa.

"He said he'd pay, then I was told I needed to. They never materialised."

But, Jane said: "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."

The scammers, having tasted success, kept inventing scenarios which all involved Jane finding fresh funds.

'I was gullible'

Next was a bizarre request involving a supposed battle between Momoa and his ex and the need to fake documentation to show Jane and the star were in a genuine relationship.

"I was told he was fighting his ex-wife for the house," Jane explained, "and he said we needed a marriage certificate to keep the house.

"So I was gullible and I paid it."

Becoming suspicious of transferring thousands of pounds with "nothing in return", Jane eventually called out the behaviour.

"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'."

Many payments were made via PayPal, with Jane confirming they were genuine sums for "friends and family"

At this point, the scammers "promised" they would return her money but she would have to send more sums to release the funds.

"I just kept sending the money," Jane said.

"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."

Faced with a daily bombardment, Jane "went into herself" as she was told "not to tell anyone" what had been going on.

"It's the most horrible thing that's ever happened in my life, and the worst thing was not being able to tell anyone what was happening."

'No morals'

She was finally moved to contact the police when the scammers, posing first as a police officer and then a courier driver, 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 the whole nightmare to detectives.

The force continues to "support" Jane but she is no longer considered an open case. The chances of clawing back any of the money remain small.

Even so, economic crime protection officer Claire Lawson said: "It's so important to report these crimes, so we can get victims support.

"Don't ever feel embarrassed or ashamed, these people who commit these crimes have no morals and the main thing for us is supporting people through the process."

Scammers often pretend to be celebrities in an effort to cash in on the public's interest in star names

The BBC contacted talent agency WME, which represents Jason Momoa, for a comment but the company has yet to respond.

Meta, which owns Facebook and WhatsApp, did not offer a statement about Jane's case but did offer to look into the contact between her and the fake Momoa accounts.

Many of the payments were made via PayPal using the "friends and family" option, with Jane confirming when prompted that it was a deliberate payment.

PayPal declined to comment on individual cases, but a spokesperson said: "Authorised Push Payment fraud, which includes romance scams, is a threat that has grown across the industry.

"Our advice to consumers is to be wary if you receive unusual payment requests, particularly if it targets your emotions and is to move large amounts of money, even when the request appears to come from someone you know.

"Always question uninvited approaches in case it's a scam."

Meanwhile Jane, now attempting to rebuild her life, fears she will never get her inheritance money back.

"I wish I could meet these people because they wouldn't be standing long," she said.

"I'm shaking talking about it because I just don't want anyone else to go through it.

"Please don't pay anyone online that you don't know.

"It's one hell of a hard lesson."