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She must be in some real funk now.
A 63-year-old Texas woman was swindled out of $ 100,000 by a cat fishing con artist who convinced her she was dating Bruno Mars, authorities said this week.
Chinwendu Azuonwu allegedly posed as the “Uptown Funk” singer on Instagram and seduced the woman, before making her believe he needed help with touring expenses, ABC30 reported.
The victim told police that she created an account on the social media platform in 2018, seeking camaraderie, when a person claiming to be Mars contacted her.
Between September and October of the same year, the cat fisherman sent the woman several texts and photos of the Grammy winner, 35, while he was on tour, prosecutors said.
Court documents say the woman fell in love with the person she believed to be Mars, adding that he even promised he would leave his current tour to be with her.
Then the scammer started asking the woman for money, first asking her for a check for $ 10,000 to a “friend of the band” for “touring costs,” according to the statements.
Two days later, he allegedly asked her again for funds, this time for $ 90,000.
Each of the amounts was deposited into two separate accounts, held by Azuonwu and a suspected accomplice, authorities said.
Azuonwu was taken into custody this week and charged with third degree money laundering.
His bond was set at $ 30,000 in a Harris County court hearing on Tuesday.
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