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In April, Marvel Executive Vice President Victoria Alonso discovered that a fraudster was using her identity to conduct sexually explicit phone calls with future actors: "I had a lot of sleepless nights."
The FBI has created a website for the victims of the so-called "Con Queen of Hollywood", a sophisticated crook who for many years has been imitating producers, studio executives and other members of the entertainment industry as part of 39, an elaborate financial scam.
"FBI investigation against Indonesian victims on a scam," the agency's San Diego office announced in a statement unveiling the new website on Monday morning. "This ongoing transnational fraud scheme targeting US citizens was launched around 2013 … The FBI publishes this information to prevent individuals, primarily those working in the entertainment industry, from becoming victims of the scam. . "
The new FBI missive invites victims to submit statements with biographical data and details about their exposure, and includes a website address that victims can access.
Along with the financial scheme, the Con Queen has also attracted people into sexually charged phone conversations with no apparent financial stakes. To date, nearly two dozen Hollywood executives have been emulated, including Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and former Paramount President Sherry Lansing. Dozens of others, including aspiring actors, photographers, stuntmen, army veterans, makeup artists, etc., were targeted for potential sexual or monetary exploitation.
This was the case recently when the imposter started targeting Marvel Studios. In April, Marvel Executive Vice President Victoria Alonso discovered that Con Queen was using her identity to stage dark phone calls with fake actors. The fraud triggered an internal investigation at Marvel's parent company, Disney, and lawyers outside the company were summoned to investigate further.
The scam has touched hundreds of people on at least four continents. According to victims, law enforcement officials and investigators who have followed the case, the Queen of Queens seems to have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.
After being concealed in the identities of prominent personalities – including Wendi Murdoch, the former wife of Fox's president, Rupert Murdoch, former Sony president, Amy Pascal and, more recently, Alonso – the scammer contacts his brands by email or phone. offering non-existent job opportunities.
The Hollywood Reporter First detailed efforts to understand and dismantle the scam in a 2018 cover story, Hunting the Queen Con Queen of Hollywood, which examined how the scammer attracts the people in Indonesia with fake job offers. Once in Indonesia, the scammer promises to reimburse the initial fees that these brands pay for services such as translation, driving and logistical support, but never do. This money is then probably siphoned into his coffers.
Although the sexual component of the scam has appeared before, the frequency seems to have increased recently. In mid-March, using a fake email account, the imposter sent emails to at least half a dozen people, including several aspiring actors, claiming to be the seminal casting director Sarah Finn, who worked on Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther. After winning the trust of his target with a first email, the imposter then made several phone calls imitating the colleague of Finn, Alonso, Marvel.
Actor Brandon Wengrzynek was one of those who received the fake email from Finn and the subsequent phone call from fake Alonso. In the email, fake Finn told Wengrzynek that she wished he'd phone the phone with Alonso to discuss a role for him in an upcoming Marvel television series. The impostor then pretended to be "James", Alonso's alleged assistant, who told the actor that he had to "bring everything you have" to the next phone conversation with Alonso. When the fake Alonso's call arrived, Wengrzynek did what he told her.
During the course of the appeal, the Queen of Charges urged Wengrzynek to participate in sexually explicit role plays to convince her that he had the necessary acting qualities. Wengrzynek played until the conversation became too uncomfortable and strange.
"She was absolutely convincing," Wengrzynek told THR. "I am so impressed by the professionalism of the whole."
Wengrzynek finally contacted a friend in order to check the job offer, and that 's only at that time that he learned that he' s going to get a job. was acting a fake.
The three people – "James", Finn's assistant, Alonso and Alonso, were "interpreted" by the queen.
"I want my name to be loud and clear," Alonso said in an interview. "It 's not like that we' re working. It's not who we are. We would never ask people to do that.
[Alonsoaapprispourlapremièrefoisqu'elleavaitétéimitéeàlami-avrilenvirondixjoursavantledébutle26avrildeMarvel's[Alonsofirstlearnedthatshehadbeenimpersonatedinmid-AprilabouttendaysbeforetheApril26debutofMarvel's[Alonsoaapprispourlapremièrefoisqu’elleavaitétéimitéeàlami-avrilenvirondixjoursavantledébutle26avrildeMarvel’s[Alonsofirstlearnedthatshehadbeenimpersonatedinmid-AprilabouttendaysbeforetheApril26debutofMarvel’sAvengers: End of the game. One of the stars of the movie told her that a stunt girlfriend had received what he thought was a call from Alonso in which she claimed that Marvel intended to replace actor Jeremy Renner and was looking for another stuntman.
Alonso corrected his friend, thinking it would be the end. About a month later, she received a call from two lawyers hired by Disney to investigate further.
"Disney never said you thought you had done that," says Alonso. "They just said," We have to confirm that you did not do it. "
To erase his name, Alonso had to indicate where she was on certain dates, her travel plans and her hiring practices. She called her friend Pascal, who is now a producer and was widely imitated two years ago. Pascal advised Alonso on the measures to be taken.
"People need to understand that it's not what Marvel or I would ever do," Alonso said of the whole ordeal, which made him feel humiliated and angry. "It's a horrible, horrible thing. My career for 30 years is irreproachable. The fact that someone claimed that I did these things … I spent a lot, a lot of sleepless nights.
Alonso says that she wants as many people as possible to be aware of the fact that the scam continues, despite the involvement of the forces of order.
"This person is attacking people's dreams," she says, "if something happens to you, report it." If it's not right, that's it. Go away.
K2 Intelligence, a New York-based security and intelligence firm that has been following the case for over two years, also issued a statement Monday:
"K2 Intelligence congratulates the FBI for creating a web form to identify the victims of the Indonesia Show Business Scam, better known as the Con Queen of Hollywood, bringing the investigation closer to justice for all victims. We are extremely proud of our team, led by Nicoletta Kotsianas, who worked diligently on this survey and helped to shed light on the imitations of powerful women in Hollywood and other well-heeled personalities, as well as those taken by Fraudulent scam, travel to Indonesia and money never to be repaid. K2 Intelligence encourages anyone who believes they have been the target of this scam to participate in this effort and to help the law enforcement agencies to identify the true scope of this infamous imitator and to put an end to the investigation. to close the investigation. "
The FBI opened its own investigation late last year as a result of the cover of this magazine. The FBI issued a warning for potential future victims.
"Please note that there is an ongoing fraud scheme and that people planning to travel to Indonesia in search of a job in the industry of Entertainment needs to do additional research and proceed with caution, "says the FBI.
Until now, the queen remains on the run.
The FBI has not responded to requests for additional comments on the status of the ongoing investigation.
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