Anne Bergstedt. Or Anne Samantha Bergstedt-Jordanova. Or Anne Ivanovna. Anne Gorden. AJ Gordon. She had gone by and goes by many names.
The Sweden native is a supposed actress—her IMDB lists appearances in such hits as “Boardwalk Empire” and Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” though every major appearance remains uncredited. A serial podcaster and radio host without much success, having three shows. “Off with Her Head,” a podcast. Umami Radio (on Long Beach Public Radio, no less). And “Faith & Chance,” another podcast.
She interviewed herself for Voyage, a site which freely publishes self-written profiles on people. She even fooled a local reporter into thinking she was trying to save her home and pig for a little attention. (Complete with an animal nonprofit whose existence never seemed to be real and a defunct YouTube page where she would make ASMR videos with said pig.)
But her most important profession? Allegedly scamming renters throughout the Long Beach area. And doing it so badly that the Long Beach Police Department has an open investigation against her after Reddit after Reddit after Reddit after Reddit began blowing what many victims believe to be her longtime cover.
Editor’s note: Most of the victims did not want to be identified because they are fearful Bergstedt can be retaliatory and/or violent. Due to this, their names have been redacted.
Anne Bergstedt’s game is simple. Act kind, give you a tour, get your money before you ever move a single item inside the space, and then lock the door.
415 Alamitos Ave. 826 Cerritos Ave. 815 1/2 N. San Pablo Ct. These are just a few of the addresses Bergstedt has chosen to use. And when you’re interested in a space, you’ll happily receive a FaceTime call. She will then walk you virtually through the space if you live far away—some of her victims have come from out of state—or face-to-face if you live nearby.
And here is what victims say you’ll typically receive after you agree the space is great.
“My mother is the owner of the building. All utilities are paid free for a year. Washer-to-dryer in unit. Zoned out to host events. In order to move in, I’ll need $2000 in deposit and $2000 for first month. You can’t move in until [future date]. I’m so happy you came, most people flake on me so it’s been hard to rent the space out.” (This was a direct text sent to a renter who was almost scammed by Bergstedt and prefers to remain anonymous.)
Long Beach resident Jeremiah Warren has been extremely active in his own tackling of Bergstedt, constantly posting on Reddit and willing to hear anyone’s story. He also openly shares an anonymous website that shares information about Bergstedt, including anonymous testimonies of six different people.
“I haven’t had any personal experiences with Anne but I shared the recent Reddit thread about her on Nextdoor and a bunch of people chimed in with their own allegations—that’s what had me concerned. It was then I realized how far down the rabbit hole this thing went.”
Some of the victim accounts attached to this property are outright perturbing.
In one of the most outright perturbing victim accounts on the site regarding this property, a victim alleges Bergstedt said she had cancer shortly after signing her lease and had to delay. The victim would correspond with Emilia, Bergstedt’s alleged twin sister.
“She also pretends to have a twin sister named Emilia and would contact me from a different phone number pretending to be Emilia to give me updates on Anne’s health,” the victim wrote. “She then called me pretending to be ‘Emilia’ to tell me that Anne died of cancer and couldn’t give me my money back (crazy, I know). I recorded the phone call because, at that point, I knew she was lying to me, and the call was literally 45 minutes long of her crying because Anne died.”
Even more disturbing? The victim ran into Anne later that week at The Pike, where Bergstedt hosted a trivia night under the now defunct Instagram handle @TheHitchcockBrunette. Anne claimed it was her “evil twin” that scammed her, also admitting she was never sick and then paid the victim back on behalf of “Emilia.”
This story is echoed by another alleged victim from Texas, who claims that 30 minutes before she was to drive to California to move into a Begstedt space, a “sister” of Anne called to say she was deathly ill with cancer and would not be able to allow them to move in.
At 415 Alamitos Ave., her cover began breaking with accusation after accusation.
415 Alamitos Ave. was one of Anne’s favorite properties to showcase. A two-story live-work loft at the northwestern corner of 4th Street and Alamitos Avenue, it was cute, charming, and communal-feeling, given other artists and young professionals shared the complex.
“I toured the space back in August right before the Padre/Mezcalero pay wage drama blew up,” an anonymous chef and cook said. “I was like, ‘How the fuck did I get scammed by two actors this year?'” he said, uncomfortably laughing. It was after the tour she asked for money, claimed the building was owned by her mother, and began pushing back his move-in date.
The false advertisements for the space became so bad that many of the tenants began noticing.
“I live a few doors down from [415 Alamitos Ave.],” wrote one resident. “People are constantly coming up to me when I’m leaving my loft, asking if I live here and if I know her. Their heart drops when I tell them many people are coming by looking for her with similar stories. A couple was asking about her and I told them it’s a scam and to call the police. [Bergstedt] got $3800 from them. Got $3000 from another man. And $4000 from a lady who arrived with the cops.”
Another wild tale—this one attached to 415 Alamitos Ave.
Another victim handed Bergstedt $3,600 on Sept. 30 with a move-in date for Nov. 1 into 415 Alamitos Ave.
“Midnight before move-in, she texted me that there was a water main break flooding the loft, and it had so much damage I had to wait til Nov. 13,” this alleged victim wrote. “Mind you: I had already ordered a fridge, given my notice to my landlord, made plans with movers… Everyone from friends to family was happy and knew of my move. I mean, it was a great feeling that the place looks so amazing and for the price and she actually knew how vulnerable I was at the moment.”
Come Nov. 15, this person was still without an apartment and effectively homeless.
“I told her how I work for [Long Beach Unified School District] with disabled children,” the victim wrote. “She acted very kind and caring. Saying she adored my partner and me. Then she was all suicidal-texting weird and aggressive essay-like rants… It was so awful but I needed and liked the place she supposedly rented to me. I gave her a credit union bank check. She was begging for me to send it through Zelle. I should have known better. But I was in such a vulnerable state, and she took advantage.”
Come Nov. 2024, Bergstedt was evicted from 415 Alamitos Ave.
Bergstedt was eventually evicted from 415 Alamitos Ave. in November, with P.F.T. property management outright accusing her of showing the unit as an owner and violating multiple clauses in her lease. P.F.T. did not return request for comment.
The current owner of the space warns against Bergstedt directly on their rental sign outside the unit. A few weeks later, the space mysteriously caught fire, leading some of her accusers to also accuse arson. That accusation currently has no legal merit.
Are you a potential victim? Here’s what to do.
“LBPD Financial Crimes detectives are currently investigating incidents involving the mentioned individual,” said Allison Gallagher of the Long Beach Police Department. “For information and tips related to financial and renter’s scams, please regard the resources below.”
