Virgin River fan loses $375k after being scammed by fake Martin Henderson

A Virgin River fan has allegedly lost $375,000 over a two-year period after believing she was dating star Martin Henderson, who plays Jack Sheridan on the show.

According to the New Zealand Herald, the fan – only known publicly as Lea – used the money in loans to pay for a private jet, fictitious flights, Bitcoin, and gift cards. On top of this, Lea had also relocated to New Zealand because of the supposed romance, despite being initially based in the US.

The 47-year-old was alerted to the potential scam by a friend, who had seen an article about Henderson’s Matakana cycling protest in the same paper. “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’,” she explained.

The scam began after Lea met the alleged Henderson on a Virgin River Facebook fan page, with the scammer posing as both Henderson and his agent. The star had been seen on Netflix as recently as Virgin River Season 6, which aired in late December.

Virgin River scammer allegedly pretended to be Martin Henderson

After posting on said Facebook page, Lea explained, “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 favorite foods and common interests.”

Netflix

The pair initially chatted on WeChat and Telegram, with Lea explaining she was “too invested” to listen to warnings Henderson previously sent out on socials about rising scams. After sharing some personal trauma, Lea received an AI-doctored voice note from the alleged Henderson – all with some sort of request for money.

This included “corrupt” bosses, frozen bank accounts, wanting to leave Hollywood for a “simpler” life, and flat-out begging 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,” she added.

What followed was $30,000 for a private jet out of South Africa – which was allegedly canceled after ‘Martin’ was “thrown in jail for breaking his contract” – $10,000 for the prison bailout, and $5000 for a commercial flight after the release. A further $12,000 followed for gift cards, Bitcoin transfers of $5000 at a time, and money to buy 25 Macbooks “to set up a new business.”

Netflix

She’d also paid to ship a from New Zealand to China allegedly containing “work contracts, a diamond ring, Rolex watches, $148,000 in US cash, and a valuable Netflix-ready biography of Henderson’s life.” This was on top of $56,000 for fake invoices and $85,000 in loans on different Best Buy credit cards.

When Lea said she was “running out of money” and could only pay for an economy seat, the alleged “mild heart attack” occurred.

“My head is all over the place and I felt very foolish having opened my heart,” she explained. “I was severely manipulated during some very traumatic events in my life.”

Lea’s bank account of 18 years was closed after fraud specialists flagged her transactions as “money laundering.” She’s now seeking help to recover from the loss of her alleged two-year relationship.

Henderson has been contacted for comment. Virgin River Season 7 is due to begin filming in March.

Virgin River Season 6 is on Netflix now. Check out our series recap and ending explained, the verdict of Preacher’s trial, and what Everett had to tell Mel.