An Auckland woman is at her wits end after a scam artist convinced her mother that she has been in an online relationship with the late Sir Sam Neill, who has left her part of his vineyard in his Will. The daughter, who declined to be named, said her mother refused to believe it was a scam. “She has been scammed many times and has lost at least $40,000. “She believed she was talking to him [Sir Sam] up until his death, and believed they were moving in together. “Earlier in the year, we managed to prevent her going to the airport to board a flight to the United Kingdom, where she believed she was going to be filming a documentary with him and five other people. “Now she believes she has been left property in his Will.” [Missing Credit]Sir Sam Neill's fake will, which appears to leave property to an elderly Auckland woman (name redacted). Image: Supplied The daughter said she had contacted police, but they could not do anything because her mother refused to believe it was a scam and would not hand over any communications from the scammer. Based on information from the scammer, the mother contacted Sir Sam’s fake lawyer in a bid to confirm the Will was legitimate. In a letter, the lawyer — named Henry Winkler — confirmed the property at 90 Felton Rd, Bannockburn, was “indeed the property that Sam intended to leave to [her] under the provisions of his Will”. “For clarity, the property comprises approximately 5.6-6 hectares (approximately 14-15 acres) of pinot noir vineyard situated at the western end of Felton Rd, in Bannockburn, Central Otago.” However, the fake lawyer said the property still had outstanding mortgage payments that needed paying before she could inherit the property. The mother was under extreme pressure to make the payments quickly, because the lawyer said Sir Sam’s body could not be buried until the estate had been completed. Sir Sam died on July 13, 2026, aged 78 years, at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, and his ashes were scattered at his Central Otago vineyard Two Paddocks, following a private family memorial. The daughter said she was extremely worried about her mother’s financial future. “They were calling her three or four times a day. So she believed she was talking to Sam Neill, right up until 20 minutes before he died. “We really need to shut this down. “She has no money, can barely pay her rent, and always asking for money. “She’s borrowing money from other people that she can’t pay back.” The “elaborate and persistent” scam had gone on for at least two years, and short of taking her mother’s phone and computer access away, there was not much else she could do, she said. “It’s frustrating. I’m out of ideas on how to protect her.” Her mother was an intelligent person, but she was also lonely. “And here’s somebody who has a lot of time for her, and they’re using a lot of language which is lovey-dovey. “They’re using all the tactics to lure her in at her most vulnerable stage of life.” The scam is similar to others involving the late Sir Sam and the late Waitaki District councillor Jim Hopkins, who died on July 27, 2026. Netsafe chief online safety officer Sean Lyons urged families to approach loved ones in this situation with care, rather than confrontation. Scammers could spend months building trust, using photos of well-known people and creating convincing backstories before asking for money or personal information. “These people are deliberately manipulating trust and emotions, and the longer a relationship continues, the harder it can become for someone to accept that the person they have been talking to, isn’t who they claim to be. “Nobody should feel embarrassed about being targeted by a sophisticated scammer. “Ask questions, encourage them to independently verify the person’s identity and focus on helping them work through what is happening, rather than proving them wrong,” he said. john.lewis@odt.co.nz
