Johnny Depp doesn’t need another scandal in his life at this point. Luckily he’s not involved directly in this sordid tale, though his name was still dragged for one elderly lady.
According to Marca, a 61-year-old Brazilian woman was the victim of a scam by someone posing as Depp, with the con dating back to 2020. The scammer reportedly used Depp’s real-life legal issues and a court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, building a relationship with the woman through “everyday life issues” before raising the stakes.
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The impersonator started to spin a sad yarn about needing more money to pay for “convictions” and in the other cases he was involved. “Along with the sad story of not having money to pay the aforementioned fees, a ‘romance’ began where the scammer promises to take the author (of the lawsuit) to live with him,” the lawyer for the victim said in court.
According to Marca, the retiree believed the scam and the romance were the real deal. “Pandemic contributed to her believing every lie the scammer told, given the emotional shock she experienced. She was just looking for a way out or a change of life,” the lawsuit outlines, with the woman even undergoing plastic surgery for her eventual move with “Depp” to Los Angeles.
On top of this, the victim sold a car and a house to help out, with deposits to an account that the scammer said belonged to a friend. Deposits into the account were made in November 2020, and two payments were dropped in December. The total after all the damage was around $40,000 in the U.S. and $200,000 reais in Brazil.
The victim finally escaped the scam after her son got suspicious of the deposits and dug in a bit. After her son revealed the truth, the 61-year-old aimed to sue Banco do Brasil over the allegation that they allowed the scammer to open the fake account that ended up ruining her life.
The bank defended itself by arguing that the woman transferred funds “of her own free will” and they played no part in the scam. The lawsuit is ongoing according to Giant Freaking Robot, and Johnny Depp has played no personal part at all. He did decide to shave his facial hair off, so maybe he’s showing solidarity?
