A mother-of-two has been left without a home after transferring £250,000 to online criminals who impersonated famous actors and musicians.
Jennifer Barton, 44, was targeted by six different fraudsters over a two-year period who claimed to be celebrities such as Vikings star Alexander Ludwig, Sons of Anarchy actor Charlie Hunnam, Westlife member Nicky Byrne, and American country singer Michael Ray.
The scammers approached the NHS worker from Kidderminster through Facebook and Instagram, professing their love and expressing desires to marry her.
“They all told me that they loved me and wanted to marry me, wanted to come to England and be with me,” Ms Barton said.
The con artists fabricated stories about messy divorces and financial difficulties, requesting urgent payments while promising to meet her in person.
The ordeal began when an account purporting to represent the Vikings actor reached out to Ms Barton on Instagram, suggesting they continue their conversation on Telegram for greater privacy.
“At the start, it was general everyday kind of chat with a bit of flirtatiousness,” she recalled.
Within weeks, however, the tone shifted dramatically as the impersonator began requesting money, initially asking for approximately £3,000 to cover supposed court fees.
The fraudsters pretended to be a number of celebrities
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She said: “You are hoping that the guy is legit. I did wonder if I had gone too far, but I got addicted to spending this money. I have this attention from someone and I am liking this attention.”
Throughout the following year, she transferred £6,000 in cash and an additional £6,000 in bitcoin to the fraudster.
A second Ludwig impersonator subsequently extracted more than £100,000 from her, claiming the funds were needed to apprehend the original scammer.
Another fraudster impersonating Charlie Hunnam attempted a similar scheme but exposed himself during a video call when his accent clearly did not match the British actor’s voice.
The fraudster pretended to be Charlie Hunnam
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The most devastating blow came from a criminal posing as country singer Michael Ray, who manipulated Ms Barton into selling her property and possessions.
The scammer claimed to operate a charity that would assist with her bills if she provided an initial payment, promising to send her £140,000 in return.
Ms Barton explained: “I sold the house and I spent all the money. I got £111,000 and then apart from a bit for a hotel and a hire car, the vast majority went on him.
“He said I would be able to get a new house with the money and he was reassuring me that everything was going okay.”
Country singer Michael Ray was one of the people they impersonated
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GETTY
The reality of her situation became clear before Christmas when the fake Michael Ray repeatedly refused to meet her in person.
Ms Barton is currently residing in a house of multiple occupancy while awaiting emergency accommodation.
“I ran out of money, I’m currently homeless at the moment,” she said. “For anyone facing anything similar, just reach out to family and friends. Especially if they’re asking you for money.”
In a poignant reflection on her experience, she added: “There was an addictiveness, when someone gives you attention, even if it’s a scammer, it’s nice. They play on your feelings.”
Action Fraud is reviewing her case through its Report Fraud Analysis Service at the City of London Police.
Ms Barton has also instructed CEL Solicitors to pursue recovery of her funds, with CEO Jessica Hampson noting that such cases are “much more common than people realise.”