'We've spoken to dozens of victims,' Dean said. Josh Dean, co-host of the show Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen, which revealed the alleged identity of the trickster last month, told the con artist may be one of the most prolific of his kind ever identified. Tahilramani - also known as Gobind Lal Tahil - had already been 'unmasked' last month as the likely suspect in the bizarre fraud by investigative podcast 'Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen' The scam began as early as 2013, and continued despite global Covid travel bans to this August, when victims were instead asked to shell out for non-existent training videos.Īccording to the Hollywood Reporter, Tahilramani was arrested by Manchester police last week with the assistance of private investigators from K2 Integrity. If targets complained or expressed doubt, Tahilramani would sometimes threaten to 'dismember' the victim, the documents state. When they arrive in Jakarta – and after spending thousands of dollars on fake tour guides and other scam fees – they realize the movie is a sham and the phone calls were impersonations. Tahilramani would 'use fake accents and alter his voice to sound like a woman,' the documents state. The scammer appeared to pick handsome, muscular men as his primary targets, and has even tricked some of them into having phone sex with him by asking them to read out a sex scene from a fake movie script, the victims told the podcastįor years, movie industry workers have been receiving phone calls purportedly from moguls including the former chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, the former chair and CEO of 20th Century Fox, and the president of Lucasfilm, offering them the opportunity of a lifetime shooting a blockbuster in Indonesia. ![]() It's estimated that between $1.5 million and $2 million has been taken over the past five or six years, and that most of that has ended up in the perpetrator's pocket. He also impersonated several male Hollywood executives. In audio exclusively obtained by, the conman is heard using a fake high-pitched voice to impersonate Rupert Murdoch's 's ex-wife Wendi Deng as he allegedly attempts to lure someone into the elaborate scam. 'The defendant has been arrested in the United Kingdom based on a request for his provisional arrest submitted by the United States with a view towards his extradition,' an FBI spokesman in San Diego, California told AFP.Īmong the Hollywood moguls Tahilramani allegedly impersonated were Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, former Sony movie chief Amy Pascal, and ex-Paramount boss Sherry Lansing. ![]() He was identified in an unsealed court indictment Thursday as Hargobind Tahilramani, a 41-year-old Indonesian man. Published: 01:26 BST, 4 December 2020 | Updated: 07:36 BST, 4 December 2020Ī conman who impersonated female Hollywood executives to dupe actors and others into phone sex and steal over $1 million has been arrested in the U.K. The suspect was identified in an unsealed court indictment Thursday as Hargobind Tahilramani, a 41-year-old Indonesian manĪ suspected con artist who allegedly impersonated top female Hollywood executives to swindle wide-eyed aspiring stars out of hundreds of thousands of dollars has been arrested in Britain after a US extradition request, the FBI said Thursday.ĭubbed the 'Con Queen of Hollywood,' the suspect led investigators on a years-long, global manhunt so improbable it has even been optioned for a book deal. The scam began as early as 2013 until August this yearīy Afp and Matthew Wright For.He's even tricked some of them into having phone sex with him by asking them to read out a sex scene from a fake movie script.The scammer appeared to pick handsome, muscular men as his primary targets.On arrival, the victims were allegedly bilked for US currency at every turn by Tahilramani and his co-conspirators.Victims were approached with offers of lucrative Hollywood jobs and instructed to travel to Indonesia for tasks.Tahilramani allegedly impersonated Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, former Sony movie chief Amy Pascal, and ex-Paramount boss Sherry Lansing. ![]() The scammer has been operating for at least five years and may have defrauded hundreds of people.According to the Hollywood Reporter, Tahilramani was arrested by Manchester police last week.based on request of the U.S., according to the FBI The suspect was identified in an unsealed court indictment Thursday as Hargobind Tahilramani, a 41-year-old Indonesian man.A conman who impersonated female Hollywood executives to dupe actors and others into phone sex and steal over $1 million has been arrested.'Hollywood's Conman Queen', 41, is arrested in the UK after five years impersonating Rupert Murdoch's ex Wendi Deng and Tinseltown executives to scam men into phone sex and stealing over $1 million
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