A conman posing as “Stranger Things” star Dacre Montgomery has turned a single mom’s world upside down.
A Kentucky woman and “Stranger Things” fan has only been identified as McKayla who claimed she was the victim of a catfishing scam that swindled her out of nearly $10,000 in gift cards and checks. She detailed her experience with the fake “Dacre” on an episode of the YouTube series “Catfished,” which resurfaced earlier this week.
McKayla said may video.
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The catfishing scheme got its legs when McKayla, who said she works in editing and production, joined an online forum hoping to connect with other creatively minded people. Someone who eventually claims to be Montgomery – plays Billy “Weird things” – I reached out to her.
Since connecting, McKayla and “Dacre” have bonded over their frustrations with their partners. McKayla is estranged from her “toxic” ex-husband, and “Dacre” claims that Montgomery’s real-life girlfriend, Liv Bullock, controls their joint finances.
The copycat also claimed that they broke up with Bullock and asked McKayla if she wanted to be in a relationship. McKayla’s suspicions were quelled when the supposed split matched Montgomery and Pollock’s real social media activity. What you didn’t know is that the couple often takes long breaks from posting about each other on Instagram.
The copycat also shared “inside” information about the Season 4 episode “Stranger Things” before it even premiered. The “Catfished” team later revealed that the alleged “Stranger Things” secret was made public months before the season’s hiatus.
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McKayla admitted it was a “huge red flag” that Dacre didn’t want to talk on the phone, but she shrugged it off. At the fraudster’s request, McKayla said she and her husband were officially separated.
As their relationship progressed, McKayla began sending “Dacre” money in the form of gift cards and checks. In total, McKayla said she sent Dacre about “ten thousand dollars.” The real Montgomery reportedly makes over $100,000 per episode of Stranger Things.
McKayla reached out to the “Catfished” team when the cryptocurrency went live.
Internet investigators debunked McKayla’s interactions with “Dacre” — including the fake signatures he used on checks and a photo of lasagna he lifted from a Martha Stewart recipe to send to McKayla. A determined Catfishhead on McKayla fell in love with a “romantic trickster” who allegedly took advantage of her vulnerabilities.
In the video, she said, “Love makes you do crazy, stupid, and irrational things. I promise.” “And trauma does one thing to a person.”
She urged viewers of “Catfished” to postpone judgment on fraud victims and suggested they reflect on what they have been through.
McKella continued, “These scammers, they just get in and get away with it. It’s a dopamine fix every time you wake up, every time you go to bed. Several hours a day. It’s a fix, it’s a success.”
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The “Catfished” video ended by noting that McKayla has since banned the “Dacre” account and is taking a break from social media and the internet. She also filed a police report about the scam with the help of the YouTube series.
A representative for Montgomery did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Thursday.
This story originally appeared Los Angeles Times.
