A Sydney man who was served with an apprehended violence order after he turned up on the doorstep of Love Island Australia host Sophie Monk clutching a single purple rose has claimed he was the sufferer of an elaborate catfishing rip-off which left him $7000 worse off.
Brian Rapley stated police questioned him “like I was some crazed stalker” however he insisted he had months of messages on his cellphone between him and the individual he thought was Monk.
“I feel like such an idiot,” Mr Rapley advised the Daily Telegraph. “But I thought we were in a relationship”.
Police had been referred to as on April 25 to Monk’s New South Wales central coast dwelling after a person was seen exterior at 7.30am calling her title. When he returned later that night, cops swooped.
Mr Rapley, 49, stated 5 police automobiles descended on him.
“They said to me ‘What are you here to do to Sophie Monk?’ and I said ‘I’m here to meet her for the first time, we are in a relationship’”.
Monk wasn’t at dwelling as she was together with her husband Joshua Gross in Queensland filming film Zombie Plane with US star Vanilla Ice.
“I do not know any person by the name of Brian Rapley. I am not in a relationship with anyone by the name of Brian Rapley. I am currently happily married to my husband Joshua Gross,” Monk stated in a press release to police.
Mr Rapley wasn’t charged however was served with an AVO and advised to not method the TV persona.
Catfished
He advised police that he genuinely believed he and Monk had been speaking after he left a message on her official Instagram account.
“Then next thing I get a message from another account but with the same profile pic as Sophie, saying ‘Hey its Sophie … let’s chat here, my manager reads my official account, so this is better,’” he advised theDaily Telegraph.
Over a four-month interval he stated he and the individual purporting to be Monk chatted repeatedly.
Mr Rapley confirmed the newspaper a number of messages he claimed he thought had been from the star.
One of the messages to him stated: “I love you”.
But there have been purple flags when the “relationship” by no means went from messaging to cellphone calls.
“I did think that was weird. I was like ‘If you are who you say you are, you could walk into a shop and get a new phone for free’”.
However, the account stated their cellphone was damaged and so they had been too busy to purchase a brand new one.
‘I look like a right fool’
Mr Rapley then stated he fell for a rip-off whereby the individual he thought was Monk stated she was “getting all this money” however requested him to ship her money within the meantime.
When he questioned why he can be sending cash to a well known star he was advised it was simply “bank account drama”.
Eventually, he stated, the individual he was messaging gave him Monk’s deal with and advised him to fulfill her there on April 25 so they may lastly see one another face-to-face.
Mr Rapley stated he was embarrassed.
“Look, I know it sounds stupid … I look like a right fool but the truth is I’m just lonely, and I believed her.”
The western Sydney man will seem in court docket for an AVO matter on May 16. Police advised the Telegraph they had been trying into Mr Rapley’s claims he was catfished and scammed.
Originally revealed as Sydney man thought he was in relationship with Sophie Monk, turned as much as her home
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
