A woman who thought she was in a relationship with a Stranger Things cast member has been left disappointed after finding out that someone was actually catfishing her.

Now, in the digital age, everything happens online. Shopping, communicating, dating – everything. But the latter opens up a whole new world of lies and deceit, oftentimes with vulnerable people on the receiving end of the torment.

McKala, a single mother from Kentucky, spent a year of her life exchanging more than just a few messages with a man who she believed was Australian actor Dacre Montgomery, who played Billy Hargrove in Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things.

However, after appearing on the YouTube series Catfished, she soon discovered that the man she switched up her entire life for was not exactly who he claimed he was.

A woman from Kentucky thought she was in a relationship with Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery. Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty

It all started when McKala, an amateur filmmaker and artist, met the charming stranger through an online artists’ forum to connect with other creatives who were trying to make it big in the industry.

In her own words, she told the hosts of the show that she “hit it off” with the guy who told her he was Montgomery, despite using a username that did not reflect so.

“I’m suspicious from the get-go until he starts doing things that make me believe he is who he is,” she told Catfished while appearing on the show.

However, things took a turn when the stranger started venting to her about his personal problems, which included being completely unhappy in his relationship.

“He was venting to me after a few months about his partner, saying she is very controlling of him,” she said, referring to the actor’s long-term girlfriend, Liv Pollock. “He doesn’t get to do the things he wants to do. She’s always there. She’s always got to supervise. I kind of empathize with that because my ex-husband was that way.”

Dacre Montgomery and Liv Pollock attend the 2022 GQ Men Of The Year Awards together. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty

After months of getting to know each other, “Montgomery” allegedly asked her to be his girlfriend, but under one condition.

“He was like, ‘But you gotta keep it quiet because, you know, I’m still with Liv,'” she explained, before doing some social media stalking – as one would when they’re up against some competition.

“He wasn’t posting about her. She wasn’t posting about him. The only thing that I have seen in the last two years…was a thing where she was posting about their five-year anniversary,” McKala said.

Using this as evidence, she believed the lies he was telling.

When questioned about the prospect of meeting up or even video chatting, the amateur artist revealed that the pair hadn’t even spoken on the phone in the year that they’d known each other let alone met up for a coffee or dinner.

McKala agreed that it was a “huge red flag,” but she understood where he was coming from because of his girlfriend that was “glued to his hip.”

While things initially seemed pretty tame, it started going downhill when the mystery man gave her an ultimatum saying that she had to pick between her now ex-husband and him and she assured him that the only man in her life was him.

And just to add to the pressure that was already piling up, “Montgomery” randomly started asking for some financial aid. The reason behind the request? His controlling girlfriend, of course.

“Before I knew it, it was turning into $100, $200 gift cards,” she said on the show.

Over the course of their relationship, McKala estimated that she sent him approximately $10,000 dollars, despite reports stating that the actual actor received $150,000 per episode he starred in.

The real Dacre Montgomery (center) makes a reported $150,000 an episode for Stranger Things. Credit: Frazer Harrison/VMN18/Getty

The episode ended with the Kentucky native finding out the truth about her romance and ending her connection to the stranger.

“Love makes you do crazy, stupid, irrational things,” she said, admitting her trauma had a part to play in her vulnerability in being scammed.

“If you’re someone like me, you’re afraid of abandonment and you’re a real big people pleaser and you’re very co-dependent… These scammers, they just kind of come in and they leech off that,” she added.

Hopefully, McKala has managed to find someone that appreciates her since then.