A North Richland Hills woman says she was scammed out of nearly $200,000 by a stranger pretending to be Bruno Mars on social media.
"Jane" told CBS 11 that the scam started in 2018 shortly after her husband died. "Jane" is not the woman's real name, but she didn't want the TV station to identify her out of fear of becoming a target again.
She struck up a friendship on social media with someone who used Mars' photos as their profile picture. Jane figured the famous singer just wanted someone to talk to.
“That’s the first thing they do is try to be your friend. Get to know you and be comfortable with you," Jane said.
Jane's friendship soon turned into romance as the scammer sent her online love letters. The fake Mars even mailed her an engagement ring.
“It wasn’t like we were in love – like love-love – it was more like I was in love with his talent,” she said.
Their relationship took a turn when the scammer first asked for $5,000 to help pay for rental cars on tour. The request for money kept on coming, and Jane sent the man nearly $200,000.
At one point, the scammer sent her text messages asking for more money because he was detained in the the Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. and wouldn't be freed until he paid airport and pilot fees.
After months of handing over her money, Jane finally realized that she was being played. She told the scammer she wouldn't hand over any more cash until she was paid back. Then the scammer started threatening her life.
She contacted the police who were able to trace cashier checks she sent to two Nigerian citizens living in Houston. Authorities believe the mastermind behind the Bruno Marks entire scam lives overseas.
“I’m so ashamed that this happened to me,” said Jane. “I’m so sorry that I helped this person, even though I thought it was a famous person.”
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