DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A Lake Worth, Fla. man was extradited to Georgia after allegedly tricking a Douglas County woman into giving him thousands of dollars by pretending to be an actor known for his roles in Letterkenny and various Hallmark Channel movies.
Simon Sankin is accused of tricking a woman into giving him $100,000 in a romance scam while pretending to be Tyler Hynes, known for playing Dierks in the Hulu comedy “Letterykenny” and various lead roles in Hallmark Channel films.
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“Said accused pretended to be Tyler Hynes, a TV actor,” an arrest warrant says. Sankin then, “over months of talking,” convinced the woman to send him money so they could get married.
According to Douglas County court records, Sankin took advantage of an elderly Georgia woman by pretending to be Hynes and telling the victim he loved her and wanted to get married.
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The accused tricked his victim by “pretending to be another person and professing love and convincing her that they would be rich and happy if she would follow instructions and send money.”
Records show the woman gave him $100,000, which he then used for his own personal desires, rather than the relationship.
Court records did not say if the victim had ever met Sankin in person, believing him when he told her he was Hynes.
Sankin is accused of theft by deception and elder exploitation, running his alleged scheme on the victim in Douglasville from January 2025 to May 2026.
As reported by Entertainment Now, it’s not the first time, or likely the last, that Hynes’ likeness has been suborned for a fraudulent act.
While filming a documentary about Hynes, filmmaker Jen Silliman heard from dozens of people who said they’d been tricked by Hynes imposters.
The frequency of the issue reached such a fever pitch that a website was launched to help fans protect themselves from scammers.
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