In 2011 the startling news broke around New Zealand that Sharon Armstrong, a middle-aged grandmother and public servant who worked for the Māori Language Commission had been arrested in Argentina with 5kg of cocaine in her suitcase.
The response from the media was one of scorn and disbelief – it seemed no-one could accept Sharon’s explanation that she’d been transporting the bag for her boyfriend Frank and had no idea she was trafficking drugs. The public’s reaction was brutal: how could anyone be so stupid as to carry a bag for a man they’d only met online?
Based on her published account, Greenstone TV production The Tender Trap the story behind the romance scam that trapped Sharon in its net. It is a story of a world we can’t imagine. A world where hundreds of scammers systematically throw out fish hooks across the West to see who they can catch. A massive and well-resourced world of call centres full of men and women working to prescribed scripts, harnessing psychological insights, preying on the lonely, the disappointed and the vulnerable.
This is Sharon Armstrong’s story. In truth, it could happen to anyone.
Airing on TVNZ from March 15th, Aeroplane Music was proud to license the following kiwi tracks for the series:
“Can’t Let You Down” Hollie Smith
Written by H. Smith
“Walk Right Up” Ladi6
Written by K. Tamati & B. Park
“Turn Around” Sola Rosa
Written by A. Spraggon & I. Lankum
“French Letter” The Herbs
Written by Fusimaholi/Fonoti/Karaka