Anna Cichon Wiki
Anna Cichon Biography
Who is Anna Cichon ?
A make-up artist has claimed to have been scammed out of thousands of pounds by an alleged swindler accused of posing as movie executives in a £1.5m scam.
Anna Cichon, 38, from Milton Keynes, alleged that she lost £6,000 after traveling to Jakarta, Indonesia, to see a “blockbuster film”, before realizing she had been duped.
She said she was contacted by someone claiming to be a movie executive and told to pay a driver to take her on location scouting in the Indonesian capital, but claimed she never received any reimbursement, according to The Times.
She claimed to have been scammed by Hargobind Punjabi Tahilramani, 41, wanted in the US on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Arrested
Tahilramani, who was arrested on November 26, 2020, is accused of attacking agents and others in the film industry to induce them to pay money for a non-existent job in Indonesia.
He is accused of being the so-called ‘Con Queen of Hollywood’ and allegedly impersonating well-known Hollywood executives.
A hearing in his extradition case is due to take place at a London magistrates’ court on Wednesday.
Ms Cichon, who has worked on films including World War Z and Kingsman, claimed someone contacted her in 2016 claiming to be a film executive named ‘Leslie’.
She claimed that Leslie told her that she had found her through a movie Cichon had worked on nine years earlier and sent her a 2,000-word summary for a movie.
Leslie claimed to work for a real film company, which was unaware of the fraud, and claimed that the film would star a well-known martial artist, according to Ms Cichon.
Ms Cichon, who has lived in the UK for 18 years, said she was asked to do the make-up for the film’s male stars and to visit locations in Jakarta, and Leslie sent her an itinerary.
She alleged that she was asked to pay for the flights and submit a bill for the costs, while Leslie’s accounts team was copied on the conversation.
After arriving in Jakarta, she said a driver met her and took her to a hotel, which had been paid for in advance, before being taken to visit temples and monuments.
Ms Cichon claimed she was instructed to pay the driver and said
Ms Cichon claimed she was instructed to pay the driver and said they were unable to visit all locations due to traffic, saying some trips took “six hours”.
She told The Times: “I felt bad that we couldn’t do some of the locations, but I think it was a ploy to keep me on the defensive.”
The make-up artist said she was told to return to London after two days in Jakarta and that the company would contact her.
A month later, she said that she was asked to return to Jakarta, but she said that she doubted her during the second trip because she had not been reimbursed.
Ms Cichon said the driver began “behaving strangely” and leaving her for long periods of time, saying the situation became “scary” and that he suspected he was “letting her down”.
She continued: “In total I spent around £6,000, but have since found that many people have suffered the same.”
Ms Cichon claimed that someone claiming to be an English director even phoned her about her supposed job, saying that it also turned out to be false.
She said that she was left wanting to leave the industry after the ordeal, saying the experience destroyed her “life and her dreams.”
She added: “I find it very difficult to trust people.”
Anna Cichon Quick and Facts
- Anna Cichon, 38, from Milton Keynes, claimed she was conned out of £6,000
- The make-up artist alleged she was conned by Hargobind Punjabi Tahilramani
- She said she was contacted in 2016 by someone claiming to be a film executive
- She claimed she travelled to Jakarta, Indonesia, for a fake blockbuster movie
