Although Paris Dunn did have an intimate relationship with Chris Andersen, their online meeting was orchestrated by Shelly Chartier, a 29-year-old woman from Manitoba, Canada. Chartier hacked the NBA big man’s online accounts and gained access to his email, social media outlets, his phone, bank records, and even his video game console, per Sports Illustrated. Eventually, Dunn received threatening messages from Chartier, who posed not only as Andersen but as a friend of his named Tom Taylor — who did not actually exist. Over time, authorities on both sides of the border were able to track the messages back to Chartier, who had targeted others besides Andersen.
At one point, Chartier arranged an in-person meeting between the Denver Nuggets player and Dunn in Colorado, most of which was under the guise of Andersen’s fabricated friend. This led to multiple awkward exchanges between the athlete and the teenager. “And then he was like, ‘When is your trip to Africa?’ I was like, ‘I’m not going on any trip. What are you talking about?'” Dunn recalled to ABC News in 2017.
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After meeting Andersen in person, Dunn started receiving menacing messages from Chartier posing as Taylor. “He said that he was going to send somebody down there … he was going to have me raped, and murdered, and thrown on the side of the street,” Dunn told ABC News. That caused Dunn to contact the police, which led to Chartier being revealed as the catfishing culprit.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
