Woman says she 'dodged a bullet' after 'Tinder Swindler NZ' tries to con her out of thousands

A woman says she's met New Zealand's version of the "Tinder Swindler", claiming a Hamilton man tried to con her out of thousands. 

Christine Morrison, a social media influencer and music artist, says she was lured in by Daniel Green's life in the fast lane and the pair began dating, granting her a rare insight into his mysterious life.

She first came across Green in April 2018 after a friend told her he'd been trying to get in touch with her by sending direct messages to her personal and business Facebook accounts as well as her Instagram page.

When she got back to him, Christine claims Green introduced himself as the manager of popular content creator Johnny 'Danger' Bennett and told her he could help build her business, would invest $100,000 into her brand and help to monetise her social media accounts.

She was totally unaware that before Johnny's death on April 25 2018, he had become unhappy with his arrangement with Green and began to suspect foul play. 

He was never able to seek justice, but his family have always believed Green not only stole thousands but damaged the business so badly it was unrecoverable - ruining what could have been Johnny's legacy. 

Christine alleges he wasn't as well connected, wealthy or honourable as he worked hard to make others believe he was. 

Green had messaged Christine the first time after they met on April 8, writing: "Thanks for coming out… I know you have what it takes." 

But over the next few months, Christine began to feel uncertain Green had "what it takes".  

After their first meeting in April, Green messaged Christine telling her he knew she had what it takes Photo credit: Newshub

Green went to great lengths to keep her convinced that he was a savvy businessman, telling her he could organise access to a cosmetic company and get her on a free phone plan.

Just hours after they met for the first time, he messaged her to say he has "sussed a meetin" with a company who can manufacture cosmetics. 

Christine replied shocked saying "you work fast" to which he said "yeah, I just get s*** done. Nah, it's good. Gives me a new challenge." 

He then dropped Johnny, ‘Danger’ Bennett’s name saying "we are bros. Like I'll do anything for the bro as would he for me. You under the same thing. Got your back", before dropping the name of a well-known Kiwi music artist.

In one message, the man says "we are going after the big names now. Name your price per year." 

One conversation between the pair shows Green claiming to be behind Jacinda Ardern signalling she would no longer promote New Zealand to foreign water-bottling companies. 

"Do you even know who I am?" Green asked Christine in a message seen by Newshub. 

But her instincts told her something was wrong when she watched Green tell another man he owned a brewery, which she knew wasn't correct. 

That man was Chaad Lawrence - the founder of Roa Kombucha. 

He told Newshub he met Green through a school friend who had suggested he talk with him about his business.

The pair had about five meetings at Green's house in Hamilton where Green allegedly told Chaad he could leverage his "huge social media reach" through links to Kiwi social media influencers including Chrisy to promote Chaad's business. 

He said: "[Dan] also said he had contacts in the beverage and bottling sector. 

"I gave him $5000, for promotion and marketing and never saw anything from him." 

Chaad says Green tried to reach out about another "venture". 

He said: "He wanted me to brew Kombucha for him and he bottle and relabel for his own brand, but I was just trying to get my money back."

Despite the unsettling situation, Green had convinced Christine he could help build her business. 

But a few months later in August 2018, Green asked Christine  to "invest" into his company during a phone call. 

She told Newshub: "He said the $5000 was an investment for the Auckland/Hamilton highway road development and I would make $10,000 back. 

"He was pushy and consistent. I asked for a written agreement which he couldn’t provide". 

In screenshots shared with Newshub, Green is later seen pressuring Christine to hand him over money Photo credit: Newshub

In messages seen by Newshub timestamped August 21 2018, Green messaged Christine: "Find out" and "time is limited af".

She replies saying: "Let's say I do have the money, I'm guaranteed to get it back?" Green replies: "Yes", "100" and "otherwise I wouldn't let you do it". 

Unfortunately for Christine, this is a tactic Green uses to lure unsuspecting and trusting people into giving over cash in the hope of making more. 

Hamilton businessman Jared Hunt handed over $40,000 to the alleged conman in late 2016 after Green wandered into his offices one day. 

He told Newshub in 2019 how Green had promised to return $160,000 for the $40,000 trade. 

And just like Jared, Christine was optimistic. 

In another message Green tells her she needs to deposit the money "ASAP. Before 7pm". 

When Christine says she won't be home by 7pm, he says "roundabouts but I needa know how much so I can set it up". 

Christine then asked for the written agreement. 

"For what?" Green asked. "You needa make your mind up tho. Its the best thing youll do [sic]". 

Feeling uncomfortable and pressured, Christine approached a mutual friend also in the social media game and asked if the set up was legitimate. 

She wrote: "I'm just wondering bro, what's your understanding of this new project you've invested in?" 

He replied: "It's up to you, it made sense to me, but if you're not sure then just look into it more or ask him more questions." 

Christine messaged a friend for advice about making the investment Photo credit: Newshub

In her interview with Newshub, Christine said: "That’s when everything started to unravel."

Desperate for more information, Christine started digging deeper and questioning people who he claimed to work with, be mentoring or had a connection with. 

She said: "Their stories - compared to his own - weren’t adding up. I realised he was blatantly lying. Some lies were small and unnecessary, and some were big."

And then, she stumbled across Newshub's previous articles about Green and Johnny 'Danger's' family's concerns that their son had been promised the world, but taken advantage of instead. 

She "felt physically sick" when she found out about the accusations and feels like she "dodged a bullet". 

Christine said: "When I caught wind of his involvement in Johnny's company and the missing money, I left. 

"I was scared I would get caught up and I didn’t want to be a part of his downfall. I felt so sorry for them and the fact he’d destroyed the company and brand." 

Daniel Green (pictured with Johnny Bennett) was trusted to take care of the running of the Danger Lager business while Bennett looked after the marketing. Photo credit: Newshub

In a series of videos posted to TikTok, Christine shared the whole story in three parts with her followers. 

Christine wants others to be aware of people who "have the gift of the gab", like Green.

She said: "He’s charming, deceitful and he plays to your vulnerabilities.

"He lacks empathy and takes no accountability for his behaviour, and that’s a dangerous combination." 

Johnny Danger's sister Kirsty Bennett told Newshub hearing more people make claims feels like a bad case of deja vu. 

She said: "I am fuming at the fact he thinks this is okay, to treat people this way absolutely disgusts me. 

"This man is living the life of a king while everyone else is hurting from his disgusting actions. I just want people to know who he is so he can be stopped in his path, he cannot be trusted and it breaks my heart and infuriates me to know he is still doing this to people. 

"I just want everyone to be more careful with who they trust, do your research and get more info on who that person is that wants money from you. 

"There are loads of people who scam others in this world so be wary."

A family member of Green's told Newshub he hasn't been heard from for months and rings on blocked numbers when he does call home. 

It is believed Green is currently living in Australia. 

Efforts to contact him were not successful. 

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