US woman divorces husband, loses $10k believing she was dating Stranger Things actor
McKayla revealed that she ended up giving around $10,000 to the scammer. Photo: dailyO
People hope to meet the love of their life in different ways. Imagine dating a real actor you've always liked - it sounds like a dream. But for a woman from Kentucky, USA, things took a U-turn.
She thought she found her true love in the actor and left her husband for him, but it turned out he was a scammer.
What the...
A lady from Kentucky believed she had struck gold when she connected with someone she thought was Dacre Montgomery, the star from Stranger Things.
She even left her husband because she fell in love with "someone online," thinking it was the 28-year-old Australian actor, according to People.
Where did they meet?
They got along "really well" after meeting on a forum for creative people, according to McKayla.
However, she had some doubts at the beginning.
But despite her initial skepticism, she started to believe it was actually Montgomery as the person she was talking to online "started doing things that convinced her."
READ MORE: Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp comes out as gay. Here's how his fans and family reacted
How did it happen?
After meeting on the online forum, Mckayla and the imposter bonded over the same trauma they shared -- a toxic partner.
- As per McKayla, it was Dacre who started discussing how his current partner, Model Liv Pollock (Real-life Dacre is currently dating her), was being controlling.
- This was something that resonated with McKayla, as she also understood what it was like since she had a toxic husband and was a mother to a 7-year-old.
- However, if you think she fell for the scam in just a few days, you're mistaken. Apparently, they had been conversing for over a year.
She shared that after talking for a year, Dacre suggested going on a date with her (which he never did, duh). But there was a catch – she had to keep it a secret because he was still involved with Liv Pollock, his real-life partner.
When McKayla checked his social media accounts, she didn't find many updates about his girlfriend. Yet, he would not do phone or video calls with her since he couldn't find any private time (Sounds like a red flag, McKayla, doesn't it?).
McKayla became completely convinced that the person she was texting was indeed Montgomery when they told her to watch the Season 4 episode of Stranger Things titled "Dear Billy." In that episode, the actor made an unexpected comeback after his character Billy had died in Season 3.
Because the scammer told her to watch it on the night before the episode was released, she found it hard to believe that just anyone could have that inside information ahead of time.
The loss
McKayla revealed that she ended up giving around $10,000 to the scammer. Why? The scammer's story was that he had a shared bank account with Pollock, and she wouldn't let him make any personal purchases. McKayla didn't immediately dismiss this claim because she had gone through a similar situation with her ex-partner.
The situation took a more serious turn when the scammer presented her with an ultimatum: "Choose between me or your husband." At this point, McKayla made the difficult decision to divorce her husband and raise her child on her own.
I love me some Dacre Montgomery but 10k 😭 girl, the man famous why would he be asking you for money 😂😂😂
— chum bucket (@ChelseaForsythe) August 17, 2023
In a video on YouTube, McKayla shared her experience and explained how she continued to send the fraudster numerous gift cards worth hundreds of dollars.
Finally, her doubts began to arise when the 'Dackre' consistently avoided meeting her in person. It was at this point that she came to the realization that she had fallen victim to a scam. Consequently, she made the decision to completely sever all communication with the scammer.