‘People take advantage of you’: Reality star opens up about a heartbreaking scam
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Scams are a reality that can affect anyone, no matter their background or success.
For one popular reality star, a seemingly golden opportunity turned into a financial nightmare, leaving her struggling to pick up the pieces.
What seemed like the next big step in her career quickly spiralled into a devastating loss, forcing her to confront the harsh side of the entertainment industry.
I'm A Celebrity star Reggie Sorenson has shared the painful story of being scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars by someone pretending to be a TV producer.
In a heartfelt conversation with presenter Matty Johnson during a recent episode of the Ten reality show, Sorenson opened up about how she was duped into filming a fake TV pilot.
After winning Big Brother for the second time in 2022 and pocketing $250,000, the Queensland mum-of-two moved to Sydney to further her career.
However, things didn’t go as planned, and she found herself quickly burning through her winnings.
‘I went to Sydney, I thought I’ll be close to management to get more work. But they did nothing,’ she explained.
She even had to pay a lawyer to get out of a contract that wasn’t working in her favour.
Struggling to find a new project, Sorenson met a man who claimed to be a producer offering her the chance to star in her own travel series.
‘I had this guy, he made out he was a TV producer. We shot a TV pilot and I thought it was going to be this travel show thing,’ Sorenson shared.
‘But it was all b*******.’
Sadly, the pilot came to nothing, and the so-called producer turned out to be a scam artist, leaving Sorenson both without a TV show and $40,000 poorer.
‘He ripped me off $40,000. I find it hard to trust people now,’ she continued.
‘People take advantage of you. I’m a very trusting person.’
Johnson later expressed his sympathy for Sorenson in the jungle confessional, saying: ‘I think the biggest shame is someone who’s as nice and genuine as Reggie is someone who’s been taken advantage of.’
In December, Sorenson spoke about how the $250,000 prize money from Big Brother had only helped her stay afloat.
‘I feel like I’m a mouse in one of those spinning wheels … I just can’t get off this vicious circle,’ she said.
Sorenson, who has lived with a deteriorating eye condition for years, revealed that her dream of using the prize money to buy property had not materialised.
‘I went to the bank to get a loan and couldn’t, because you need to borrow well over half a million dollars to buy a house on the Gold Coast, and I don’t have a job. No one wants to employ me because of my vision. I’ve been trying to get a job, but I just can’t get any work, so I can’t get a loan,’ she explained.
She went on to share that the money had mostly gone on rent.
‘I’ve been living off the winnings, paying the rent to keep a roof over our heads. That’s where the money’s been going – on rent,’ Sorenson said.
‘It’s been poo to be honest. I’m not whingeing, but that’s been the reality of it. So it’s been hard,’ she added.
I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues to air at 7:30 pm on 10 and 10 Play.
How would you bounce back from a scam like this? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
For one popular reality star, a seemingly golden opportunity turned into a financial nightmare, leaving her struggling to pick up the pieces.
What seemed like the next big step in her career quickly spiralled into a devastating loss, forcing her to confront the harsh side of the entertainment industry.
I'm A Celebrity star Reggie Sorenson has shared the painful story of being scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars by someone pretending to be a TV producer.
In a heartfelt conversation with presenter Matty Johnson during a recent episode of the Ten reality show, Sorenson opened up about how she was duped into filming a fake TV pilot.
After winning Big Brother for the second time in 2022 and pocketing $250,000, the Queensland mum-of-two moved to Sydney to further her career.
Reggie Sorenson was scammed out of thousands by a fake producer. Image source: Instagram/reggiebirdbb
However, things didn’t go as planned, and she found herself quickly burning through her winnings.
‘I went to Sydney, I thought I’ll be close to management to get more work. But they did nothing,’ she explained.
She even had to pay a lawyer to get out of a contract that wasn’t working in her favour.
Struggling to find a new project, Sorenson met a man who claimed to be a producer offering her the chance to star in her own travel series.
‘I had this guy, he made out he was a TV producer. We shot a TV pilot and I thought it was going to be this travel show thing,’ Sorenson shared.
‘But it was all b*******.’
Sadly, the pilot came to nothing, and the so-called producer turned out to be a scam artist, leaving Sorenson both without a TV show and $40,000 poorer.
‘He ripped me off $40,000. I find it hard to trust people now,’ she continued.
‘People take advantage of you. I’m a very trusting person.’
Johnson later expressed his sympathy for Sorenson in the jungle confessional, saying: ‘I think the biggest shame is someone who’s as nice and genuine as Reggie is someone who’s been taken advantage of.’
In December, Sorenson spoke about how the $250,000 prize money from Big Brother had only helped her stay afloat.
‘I feel like I’m a mouse in one of those spinning wheels … I just can’t get off this vicious circle,’ she said.
Sorenson, who has lived with a deteriorating eye condition for years, revealed that her dream of using the prize money to buy property had not materialised.
‘I went to the bank to get a loan and couldn’t, because you need to borrow well over half a million dollars to buy a house on the Gold Coast, and I don’t have a job. No one wants to employ me because of my vision. I’ve been trying to get a job, but I just can’t get any work, so I can’t get a loan,’ she explained.
She went on to share that the money had mostly gone on rent.
‘I’ve been living off the winnings, paying the rent to keep a roof over our heads. That’s where the money’s been going – on rent,’ Sorenson said.
‘It’s been poo to be honest. I’m not whingeing, but that’s been the reality of it. So it’s been hard,’ she added.
I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues to air at 7:30 pm on 10 and 10 Play.
How would you bounce back from a scam like this? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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