In the digital era where disingenuous online interactions are prevalent, it’s crucial to be cautious about who we’re communicating with, particularly when it comes to interacting with high-profile celebrities. Unscrupulous individuals are capitalizing on fans’ admiration, posing as beloved stars like Brendan Fraser, Johnny Depp, and MrBeast.
These crafty scammers exploit fans’ trust and enthusiasm to perpetrate impostor scams, aiming to illicitly gain financial benefits, and personal data, or even install malicious software such as malware or ransomware on their victims’ devices. Exercising vigilance in these interactions is crucial to avoid falling prey to such deceptive schemes.
How to Tell if you are Talking to a Real Celebrity or Impostor
For some, it can be difficult to determine if they are talking to a celebrity or an impostor. After all, there are celebrities that legitimately respond to fan mail and even DMs.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals seek to take advantage of this and may go to great lengths to create a convincing facade. However, here are some things to look out for that can help you spot a celebrity impostor.
Verify their identity:
Before you engage with someone who claims to be a celebrity, try to verify their identity by doing a quick online search. Most celebrities have official social media accounts, websites, and verified accounts on platforms like 𝕏 and Instagram. You can also look for articles, interviews, or videos of the celebrity to confirm their appearance and voice.
However, with the prevalence of generative AI and its ever-expanding ease of access and capability, even verifying that someone looks and sounds like the celebrity in question may no longer be enough to verify someone’s online identity.
Check their language and writing style
Celebrities often have distinct speech patterns, vocabulary, and writing styles. If the person you are speaking to uses language that is inconsistent with what you would expect from the celebrity, it may be a red flag. Keep in mind, however, that some celebrities may use ghostwriters or social media managers to create their online content.
Watch for inconsistencies
If the person you are speaking to provides conflicting information or has trouble remembering details about their career or personal life, it could be a sign that they are not who they claim to be. Be wary of anyone who seems evasive or defensive when you ask questions.
Look for signs of urgency
Impostors may try to pressure you to act quickly by creating a sense of urgency. For example, they may ask for money or personal information and claim that it is urgent. Be cautious of anyone who tries to rush you into a decision.
Verify the source of the communication
If you receive a message from someone claiming to be a celebrity, check the source of the communication. Does the message come from an official account, or is it from a private account or a random email address? Celebrities are unlikely to reach out to fans from personal email addresses or social media accounts that are not verified.
Be wary of requests for money or personal information
Finally, be skeptical of anyone who asks for money or personal information. Celebrities typically do not ask fans for money or personal information. If someone claiming to be a celebrity asks for either, it is likely a scam.
Money may not always be asked for directly. Instead, scam artists may request that you sign up for a “membership card” which grants you supposed special access to the celebrity or they may request gift cards. These are huge red flags and should be taken as signs to cease all communication.
Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Use your common sense and be cautious when engaging with people who claim to be celebrities online.
How do Celebrity Impostor Scams Work?
Celebrity impostor scams typically involve a scammer pretending to be a well-known celebrity or public figure, in order to trick people into giving them money or personal information. The scammer may use a fake social media account or website or may reach out to victims through email or messaging apps.
The scammer will often offer some kind of opportunity to the victim, such as a chance to win a prize, meet the celebrity in person, or invest in a new venture. They may also claim that the celebrity needs help with a personal or financial matter, and ask the victim to send money or provide sensitive information.
Once the victim has given the scammer money or information, the scammer will disappear, leaving the victim out of pocket and potentially vulnerable to identity theft or other types of fraud.
These types of scams can be difficult to detect, as scammers often use sophisticated techniques to create fake accounts and websites that look authentic. It is important to be skeptical of any unsolicited offers or requests and to do research on the person or company before providing any personal or financial information. If you believe you have been targeted by a celebrity impostor scam, it is important to report it to the relevant authorities and take steps to protect your personal information.
What Does a Celebrity Impostor Scam Look Like?
Tales From The Collection is a leader in providing fans with authentic celebrity contact information. As such, fans naturally come to us for help in determining if they are actually talking to a real celebrity or an impostor. If you suspect an impostor then 10 times out of 10, you are probably dealing with a cybercriminal.
Here are the testimonials of some real-life fans who have posted their experiences with celebrity impostors in our comments sections.
Hello
Dorothy
I was and still am in contact with someone claim to be RM this person bullied me and took over my Facebook page.
There is someone pretending to be Brendan Fraser and getting them to send money. This person is playing games and drawing women in, then gets them on Google chat and tries to get “close” to them. It’s giving Brendan a bad rep.
M.G.
I also experienced someone claiming to be my favorite celebrity, but after we start talking for a day or two they started asking me for Steam gift cards and other things talking about how they were testing me to see if I’d pass the test and if I don’t give them what they want they would block me and leave.
Terry
I’m also chatting with a famous person who asked to chat with me on Google chat. The person wants me to buy an “authorization fans card”.
Anonymous
I have been contacted by at least six people claiming to be Jeremy Renner. Before I read his verified Twitter post about him never asking a fan for money a very convincing impersonater took me for $9000 of my hard earned money that I had saved over a year to buy a car with promising me he would pay me back when we met and various other promises.
Michelle
How to Report a Celebrity Impostor
If you believe you have been the victim of an impostor scam in the United States, you should report it to the appropriate authorities as soon as possible. Here are the steps you can take to report an impostor scammer in the United States:
- Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): You can report impostor scams to the FTC by visiting their website at ftc.gov/complaint. The FTC maintains a database of scams, and the information you provide can help them take action against scammers and provide resources to victims.
- Contact your state Attorney General’s office: You can find contact information for your state Attorney General’s office on the National Association of Attorneys General website. They may be able to assist you in reporting the scam and provide resources for victims.
- Contact local law enforcement: If you have lost money as a result of the scam, you should contact your local law enforcement agency. They may be able to investigate the scam and take action against the scammers.
- Contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): The IC3 is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. You can report scams to the IC3 at ic3.gov.
- Contact the Better Business Bureau: You can also report scams to the Better Business Bureau. They maintain a database of scams and can help connect you with resources for victims.
- If the impostor is on a social media account, report it directly to the company. Social media services like Facebook have dedicated pages for this.
It’s important to note that reporting a scam does not guarantee that you will be able to recover any lost funds. However, reporting the scam can help prevent others from falling victim to the same scam and can help law enforcement take action against scammers.
Do Celebrities Use Hangouts, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instant Messengers?
Celebrities are regular people just like you and me so yes, some do use popular messaging services like Hangouts, Telegram, WhatsApp, and other instant messaging platforms to communicate with friends and business associates.
However, it’s important to note that not all celebrities use these platforms, and many may have a team of representatives or agents who handle their communications. Additionally, it’s unlikely that a celebrity would use these platforms to randomly message or call fans without any prior interaction or consent.
It’s important to be cautious of individuals claiming to be celebrities who contact you through these platforms, especially if they ask for personal information or financial support. As mentioned earlier, celebrity impostor scams are a common tactic used by scammers to exploit fans, so it’s essential to verify the identity of the person you are communicating with and to never share Personal Identifiable Information (PII) like social security numbers and banking information and never send money.
Guaranteed Authentic Celebrity Interactions
Cameo is a service that allows users to book personalized video shoutouts from various celebrities. The platform offers a guaranteed authentic way to interact with celebrities because it has a vetting process in place to ensure that the celebrities featured on the platform are who they say they are.
Here’s how the vetting process works:
- Application: Celebrities must submit an application to Cameo to be considered for the platform. They must provide proof of their identity and social media presence.
- Review: Cameo reviews the application and does a background check on the celebrity to confirm their identity and check for any red flags.
- Approval: If the celebrity passes the review, they are approved to join the platform.
When users book a personalized video shoutout from a celebrity on Cameo, they can be sure that they are getting an authentic video message from the real celebrity, not an impostor. Additionally, the price for a personalized video shoutout on Cameo is generally more affordable than other ways to interact with celebrities, such as meet and greets or private events.
To learn more about the celebrity video service, check out our full review.
The Evolution of Celebrity Impostor Scams: Deepfakes and Generative AI
As the world becomes increasingly digital, scams are evolving to exploit advancements in technology. NPR’s reporting on impostor scams delves into how scammers have evolved to exploit publicly available information. This can be weaponized to play against fans’ admiration for celebrities, capitalizing on commonly known facts and advancements in generative AI to impersonate these famous personalities.
Scammers are known to use the wealth of information celebrities share online, coupled with the trust and admiration of fans, to orchestrate convincing scams. They often create elaborate stories, claiming to be a celebrity in need of financial help, asking for donations for a charity, or offering exclusive opportunities for fan engagement for a price. With fans eager to connect with their idols, they can easily fall victim to these scams.
With advances in technology, these scams have become even more deceptive. Generative AI, a technology capable of creating new data that mirrors existing datasets, has given scammers an uncanny ability to mimic celebrities’ voices using text-to-speech generators. This, combined with caller ID spoofing, can make a phone call appear to be genuinely from the celebrity.
Furthermore, augmented reality (AR) and deepfake technology have raised the stakes even higher. Deepfakes use machine learning algorithms to create synthetic media, such as modifying a video to replace one person’s likeness with another. Combined with AR, which superimposes computer-generated images onto a user’s view of the real world, scammers can create incredibly convincing visual and auditory content. This means they can potentially show a celebrity’s face and mimic their voice in a video call, adding an extra layer of authenticity to their scams.
Given these advances, it’s increasingly critical for fans and the general public to stay vigilant and skeptical of unexpected contact or requests from celebrities. As scams become more sophisticated, a healthy dose of skepticism can be a powerful tool in avoiding falling victim to such schemes.
Celebrity Impostor Scam FAQs
A celebrity impostor scam is a type of scam in which someone impersonates a celebrity, typically on social media, to deceive people into sending them money or personal information.
It can be difficult to tell if you are talking to a real celebrity or an impostor online. Some warning signs of a scam include asking for money or personal information, using poor grammar or spelling, and refusing to speak on the phone or in person.
If you think you are being scammed by a celebrity impostor, stop all communication with the person immediately. Report the scam to the social media platform where you were contacted, and consider reporting the scam to law enforcement.
It can be difficult to get your money back if you were scammed by a celebrity impostor. You can report the scam to your bank or credit card company and try to dispute the charges, but there is no guarantee that you will be successful.
It is possible that a celebrity may contact you on social media for legitimate reasons, such as promoting a new project or responding to a message you sent them. However, if they start asking for personal information or money, it is likely a scam.
To protect yourself from celebrity impostor scams, be cautious when receiving messages from people claiming to be celebrities. Never give out personal information or send money to someone you have not met in person. Do not trust anyone who asks you to keep their communication a secret. Always verify the authenticity of the account by checking for a verified account badge or by researching the celebrity’s official social media accounts. Ensure that you are using authenticated celebrity contact information from sources like Tales From The Collection.
Share Your Story On Our Celebrity Impostor Scam Forum!
Wow, I read just about everyone’s response and realized I am a victim too. I have been chatting with various Chinese actors for about a year and found out all of them to be fake. What is hurtful is that when you chat with them for a while, everything seems good until they bring up the membership fan card. I tell them I can’t afford it and they keep pressuring. I finally get enough and tell them off and then block them. I find that reporting them is a joke. I am chatting with a Chinese actor now that seems legit. We will see. Thank goodness I have never sent money.
It’s a scam. Stop talking to them.
I wonder if anyone has been talking to Kpop Idol. I contacted my favorite person via Instagram and got a reply from an unofficial account and we talked in Google Chat (no video call though). I donated money to charity but it was signed by Oprah Winfrey? Been talking for about 8 months now and I have sent money for vacation fees to his ‘so-called’ agency and he promised to pay back tenfolds. I was waiting for a scheduled vacation but the agency requested for additional private jet fee. I am confused now whether this person is real or impostor. The conversation is like a real person with a real story although some of the stories are advanced but eventually, it is a real story (when the news covers it). Anyone can help me with this?
For the last month someone has been acting as Aitch the rapper. Started on Facebook then moved to Google chat. I knew it was a scam. The person refused to go on video calls. The person has been claiming they are in love with me and claiming they want to marry me. I knew there were several red flags.
Also another aitches accounts tried to reach out to me wanting to send me a gift over seas through telegram completely ignored and reported it
Please be aware of this
Yes which Emma Watson account is real then
I am talking to “David Bryan” from Bon Jovi. Pretty sure it’s a scam. Got a fb message after I answered some random question from his supposed fan page.
Keeps using the words “my dear”…. sounded like other scams…
He has not asked for money, but I have questioned his legitimacy from the start. He keeps wanting me to chat over signal, but I won’t. Blocked him on fb.
Just alerting people out there of this person.
I’ve been approached many times I am a fan of Drew Carey. They start a romantic thing how beautiful you are then he wanted me to donate money to an orphanage in Texas however I called that orphanage and they told me it was a scam he had never been there I blocked him and reported him it’s happened again to me from Instagram now he’s asking for a steam card I know it’s hard whoever they are they make you feel special but they’re not real they’re thieves and if it’s too good to be true it probably is I never lost any money just time and respect
I thought I was speaking with the real Jesse Lee Soffer but I found it odd that someone who claims to dislike texting is in fact texting me regularly. He keeps asking me to contact his management so I will have unlimited access to chatting with him and then meet & greet with him. I was kindly told to send my
full name, phone number and a clear photo of yourself and your current state/city.
So they could check if you have any good loyal records as fan, reasons are to ensure the safety of our registered artist and fans.
Right there I got a bad feeling that this seems too sketchy.
I read that people have indicated fan cards are scams and to never give out your personal information to anyone. He kept telling me to keep this whole conversation a secret. What a joke! Thank goodness my gut told me to forget this and move on before falling for this crap.
Hi
I’m talking to another).
Paul mccartney
This one seems so genuine & really nice
He sends me songs from YouTube telling me how much he loves me also photos of him obviously not selfies but definitely him..
He wants me to leave & be with him
No red flags till today
He wants me to send money to his management to help one of his charities
And introduce myself so me & him can be together
But he refused to speak on the phone or video call..
I’m totally in love with the real Paul mccartney
I’m so confused now as he seems genuine
I’ve tried to catch him out
But he’s the real one or very clever
He knows everything about linda & the children…..
And wants us to live in Scotland
Can someone please help
Been scammed by some one pretending to be Simon Gilham he was very good then confessed I told him some very personal things . I’m fuming I hope Mr Gilham sees this and takes action there’s loads imitating him and asking for money luckerly I didn’t send any . This guy was veery good ffs
AM I TALKING TO TOM HARDY OR IS IT A SCAM HE KEEPS ASKING ME FOR STEAM CARDS 5O 100 POUNDS
I have someone on Telegram saying he’s Harry Styles, at first he was asking me to go get money cards and put all I can on them. I of course told him I don’t have the money to do that, so then they wanted me to donate to some animal rescue I told him again that I can’t so he then asked me to go online and do the IRS ID.me. This guy is really trying his hardest to get something out of me and he has no idea that I have been trained for this. I worked at a bank before and they taught us how to determine scams and real life people. I tell you now if this was Harry Styles he certainly wouldn’t be asking for money he just donated 6.5 million dollars to many charities so my petty money wouldn’t help him out if it was really him!
hi everybody beware many scammers on fb and instagram posing as various celebrities this my experience over last 6 weeks i tried to make real ! contact with emma watson
but i realised after checking emma fb account its not been used -updated for a number of years now¬ as she does not do social meia very private person
so i should have realised so many emma watson claiming to actually be the emma watson on fb beyond believe even for me !!!!!!!!!! some created every day -week !!!!!! using some of emma watsons many fake accounts and fan and private emma watson inboxes all fake all scams on instagram emma as 1 verified account but i sent her some messages on it and it now says not all people can send messages to this person -so unable to send ! ? i have contacted instagram a few week ago = no reply as yet ! ? ok then on instagram a message identical log to emmas official account but not verified stupid few sentence message to me ? of course i checked when -where this fake account was created = nigeria ? enough said these fake and scammers are everywhere stealing peoples money ( not min-in these mentioned cases) but have been victim before but not online!!!! anyway i live in uk but this is worldwide i only wish something could be done about it but -how i have read all these other messages on hear and of course can really relate to them i guess its the cyber wild west -out there !!!!
Hi I have been talking to somebody who says he is Joseph Morgan off of Vampire Diaries and the originals now a lot of what he says sounds realistic so we have been talking for the last 3 weeks on Google chat first it was tick tock he addressed me first and then I was telegram he deleted his telegram and told me it would be better to talk on Google chat so we started talking on Google chat like I said a lot of things that he was saying or legit he seemed realistic but was insisting on getting my personal information for verification of who I was I stupidly gave it to him I now regret it the things he said made me feel good made me really think that he cared about me we even made plans for me to visit him in California everything started off kind of fast he was talking about love had me talking about love I really care for this person I believe he is a good actor that I’m not real sure that he’s legit he says he cannot do video chat because it’s imperative to his career I found out that he was married to one of his co-stars of Vampire Diaries I confronted him about it and he tried to assure me that they were divorcing and we’re not living underneath the same roof but then he was always too busy to chat with me on some most days and then there were days where we would talk all day I really want to believe it is him but there’s a part of me that don’t believe it’s him I have encountered several red flags and my gut instinct tells me that this is not real I really hope that it is because now my feelings are involved he also has websites on Instagram and what’s app and they are legit I really want to believe that he is legit because now he has all my personal information that he got from id.me which is also legit I just do not want to run into any problems with identity theft
I’ve been speaking to this man that said he’s Jon bon Jovi and I’ve been speaking to him on telegram for quite a while three or four months now I’ve been in love with this man for 38 years okay I really believed it really was him until a couple not to go he told me that his manager said that it can be a big old scandal if we’re friends cuz he’s a married man and he told me he was getting death threats and he wanted me to be verified by his management company before we could speak anymore he wanted me to send him an ID me account which I’m on already and then he said that he would call me with his phone number now I’ve heard this man talk it’s his voice he’s left me voice messages he sent me selfies I’ve asked him to call me on the phone but she tells me he cannot do because it’s too dangerous right now and I’m really upset about this because I really do care about this man and I’m hoping it is a real John can someone tell me what to do about this
Ben nu n week aan het chatte met Nuno Bettencourt van de band Extreme
Lovy dovey messages , perfect English maar om prive met hem te kunnen kletsen moest ik n VIP en Partnershipcard aanvragen bij zn management 620 $ want de advocaat moest ondertekenen en dat kost geld
Yep in steam kaarten
Het management team leek overtuigend maar denk dat hij dat zelf schrijft
Geblokt overal
Wel zo stom geweest mn naam en telnr in te voeren en ook mn naam op het aanvraag biljet
Wat moet ik doen om dat te beveilingen ?
I am almost an identical story too when somebody told already. I sent someone a instant message never expecting to get a reply back nor was I looking for one. The conversation started very innocently asking me how long I’ve been at fan. Funny thing was I wasn’t really that big of a fan but anyway then as the conversation progressed he has to text on my cell phone which I wasn’t dumb enough to give him my real cell phone I gave him my work phone I always knew that this person was lying because a lot of things just did not add up but after a couple of weeks of the attention and the supposed love he was spewing out it was easy to fall into that and then just like everyone else there came the money but it was the dumbest resson for sending somebody money. He said his daughter suggested that I go to buy a gift card for $100 because somehow that was going to prove I was trustworthy. Any serial killer can go buy a gift card which obviously I didn’t do it but he kept trying and then he lowered the gift card amount so $50 it was like buy a has been celebrity on sale day. The problem was my feelings to get involved and there was a piece of me that either believed him or wanted to believe him and I called him out like twice and he kept with the story. So either way if it was an imposter that was a pretty shitty thing to do because you hurt somebody’s feelings and if it was him that was a really scummy thing to do I’m not the one who needed to be proven who I was but just like everyone else he wasn’t allowed to make phone calls which is just dumb these days anyway. It was a simple scam from the beginning for money I wouldn’t even care because I wouldn’t not have done it anyway but this time I I got my feelings hurt I mean I’m just more mad at myself. I mean after somebody after 3 weeks it’s telling you that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you yeah that was a red flag.
I had same problem and harrassed when no contact in 5 years
I’m a fan of a British actor who isn’t on social media. In late January I was contacted on Instagram by a man who claimed to be his friend and manager of any social media relating to him. He sent me a very convincing email saying that this actor had seen my comments on fan pages of his on Instagram (which are quite thoughtful and always positive) and he now wished to contact me. I was sceptical at first, but this was incredibly convincing. I sent my email (I have two, a private one and one I send to companies which was the one I sent) and this ‘actor’ replied the following day.
To cut a long story short, I felt we had a relationship. I was feeling very vulnerable as I’d just lost my sister and also come out of a difficult relationship. As a single parent, I massively looked forward to his emails. He flattered me and made me feel attractive and wanted.
I think, looking back, I suspected it wasn’t him all along (in his first email he told me to keep it secret and on no account should I tell anyone or pass on his email), but I didn’t want to believe it as I loved the attention. I suggested video link or chatting on the phone, but he told me his agents were strict and wouldn’t allow it. This was all done in such a convincing way that I believed him.
I made the mistake of sending him photos of myself. They were always everyday ones though and I’m glad now he never asked for racy ones. As time progressed, his emails became more sexual. When I told him I wasn’t that comfortable about it, he was incredibly respectful. His messages were always so sweet, charming and very kind and sympathetic involving my sister.
I’d mentioned about meeting up which he seemed keen to do, but was always filming. That tied in with what the real-life actor was doing convincingly, and then in late May (four months after it began) he said he really wanted to, but everything would have to go through his agent. I did find that strange, as I wondered what he does when he just wants to see friends.
Then the money request. He said I’d need to book a meet-up with him, gave me the email address of his ‘agent’ and that was a red flag in itself. The email address was a very basic, obvious one. That was when I couldn’t deny to myself any more it was a scam all along. Also, the basic package of meeting up was $2, 200 and it increased from there. I queried why it was that price and in dollars when his agency is in the UK, as am, and the reply was quite terse from them. I explained I couldn’t afford it. Then, when I messaged my ‘actor’ to explain he told me he’d pay it for me. This shocked me, and I told him I was very grateful, but didn’t expect him to spend that sort of money on me. He insisted, but said I’d need to make a £50 deposit first to the agency. They would only except it in Bitcoin, which I know not to touch with a barge pole! I told them I couldn’t pay, now just seeing what their response would be. I then messaged my ‘actor’ to tell him I couldn’t pay the £50. Well, I received a very different message to a the others he’d sent! He basically accused me of not trusting him and he said some really hurtful things like how I obviously didn’t take our relationship seriously.
Even though I know it was a scam, it still plays on the back of my mind and there’s always that little niggle of what if it really was him and not an impostor. He wanted us to continue our relationship via email. I’ve been physically very unwell so delayed my reply, but when I did I told him how hurt I was at his attitude and he’d need to give me time. That was over a week ago and he’s not responded. I doubt if he will now.
I’m just so glad I didn’t send any money. I feel so gullable, but he prayed on me when I was vulnerable. Is it wrong to say I loved the attention he gave me though. No man in my life has ever said such lovely things to me as he did, and even though it wasn’t my ‘actor’, what we had made me so happy. Up until that last email, I was on cloud nine and even though I’m moving on, I’ll always have fond memories of those emails.
Over the last month I’ve been contacted by over 100 “Tom Cruise” Imposter/Scammers. I was getting extremely flustered with the “BLOCK/REPORT” no matter how fast I blocked them, more would message. So I finally decided to have some fun! My response to them is “Hello, thank you for reaching out. I am not suppose to share this information but since you are TOm Cruise (an Actor) I am a decoy for Celebrities hired by the RCMP/FBI/Homeland Security to help lurer Scammers that use Celebrity accounts/information and prey on fans for financial gain. But since you are not “Flagged” in my system (as of yet) would you like to have your Manager contact myself so that we perhaps could discuss possible future business contracts?”…
And just like that – Scammer disappears.
A management team was asking me for 1500 dollars to join Joe Keery’s private chat group.
When I told them I couldn’t afford that, they halfed the price and I still told them I couldn’t afford it.
They asked me how much I had and I knew instantly that it was a scam.
I blocked them.
But I can’t believe I was so naiive to believe I was actually talking to Joe yesterday.
I never revealed any personal information though.
But whew that was a close call.
So many of these are big red flags except for one. The one who has been talking to somebody for over two years and never been asked for money is probably the ONLY legit one here. Everyone else who is questioning if they are talking to said celebrity… you are NOT! NEVER NEVER NEVER buy gift cards, send money through apps, go to crypto currency sites, click links in emails or texts or give out sensitive personal information. Just don’t do it. You are being scammed.
. To Mary- nobody is sending you expensive gifts. There will be a catch where you have to pay some obscure delivery service to deliver the so called expensive gifts…. Except you will never get them and you will be out the money. They may tell you that you need to prove you are legit and not a scammer by paying a fee that they will refund you to receive the gifts. It’s all a LIE. They will steal your money.
Please check out the scams subreddit and learn about these common scams. All of you! There are scammers lurking everywhere any they are getting more and more clever. Please educate and protect yourselves. A celebrity will never ask you for money or to buy something for them or to see them.
I have been Google chatting with a person claiming to be Slash of guns n roses, a person claimed to be his body guard, and 2 separated people claiming to be steven adler. 3 I believe are false identities but the 4th I’m not sure of
What do I do
I was talking to Jared Leto or I thought I was. The scammer was very good. I was told I was getting a gift from the UK and could I pay the customs fee. That blew it out of the water for me. Please be careful, this is absolutely awful.
For the past 14 months, I thought I had a special friendship and romance with Major League Baseball superstar Bryce Harper. He claimed that he was divorcing his wife because she cheated on him, wanted me to buy him gift cards to donate to his charity and he wants me to spend $3,000 to meet him in person for the Christmas holidays. I immediately uninstalled Google chat app so he wouldn’t bother me again but he kept on contacting me. I know that the real Bryce Harper wouldn’t do such things and I figured that this was an impersonator pretending to be my favorite baseball player. I was taken for a fool.
Oh God. I hate reading all these stories. Here goes. I was targeted by scammers and swindled out of $.
This went on for months because they came up with an incredible story and were very convincing. They targeted me because months ago when I first tried contacting the celebrity, there were at least 10 impersonators. I was talking to most of them not knowing they were scammers. Once I figured it out, I was then very mad and started messing with them, not a good idea. They just turned up their game even more. And they were very convincing. They did the manager trick and pay for fan card and steam cards, and buy crypto currency tricks. They did it all and it worked. I spent my hard earned money, for nothing and ended up broken hearted My advice, NONE of it is real, no matter what they say. I could never verify with a FaceTime call or video chat. They appeared on every social media platform, telegram, WhatsApp, google chat, signal, and the main one, Instagram. They have my personal information and will try and harm me financially so I took my banking apps off my phone because they are very very smart and slick.
I am grateful that I finally figured it out with help from my friends but not before I lost money. DO NOT fall for these scams. These people are very wicked and do not have any morals or conscience.
I am an aspiring actress. Done very little so far. I have many actors on my fb that are legit and they told me to friend them when I met them at conventions. Recently I commented on cary elwes fb that I would love to meet him. I get a message from a fb site about chatting with him. Site closed down since I chatted. (Red flag) he also wanted me to go on Google chat as it’s “easier ” to communicate. (Red flag 2). Never asked for money or gift cards. Normal chit chat like what do I do for a living. I’m a stocker but never said where. He mentioned that a friend of his died and it was when Robert Blake passed. I read an article about cary in people magazine and the tone sounds similar. More than likely it’s a scam yet I do have an old coworker of his on my fb friends.
Hi I’m talking supposedly to trace adkins. Well a few some have check marks near their name some have a cowboy hat near their names which are legit they all are asking for Amazon or apple or vanilla gift cards does a real celebrity ask for that
Am i really talking to. The real. Or fakeJohnny depp mangment. On Twitter
Hi
I’m talking to Paul mccartney
He hasent asked for money but asked me to get a fan card so we can meet £500
He seems genuine as he’s on twitter…
His spelling is fine
But he won’t video call or talk on the phone
But does send selfies….
Same old story Sly Stallone imposters trying to scam people on Facebook and Google chat I have had that many I have lost count now all seeking money and all ya details …no thanx it really is time it was all stopped.
Same old story Sly Stallone imposters trying to scam people on Facebook and Google chat I have had that many I have lost count now all seeking money and all ya details …no thanx it really is time it was all stopped. So be very careful out there they are very convincing at first nd some even get nasty when you say no.
I have been chatting to a guy (celebrity)
I contacted him first on his fan page
How long do they normally chat because it’s 2 years+ already
Keanu Reeves supposedly texted me. I didn’t believe.
ich habe vor kurzem mit einem Andrew Garfield gechattet . Er hat auf deutsch geschrieben und die Nachrichten waren sehr seltsam. Er nannte mich Liebling schickte mir Rosenbilder . Dann kam eine Antwort er möchte keine kurze und keine Langfristige Beziehung aber möchte mit mir für immer zusammen sein. Hä ?? . Dann fragte er mich was ich monatlich verdiene damit ich mich auch gesund ernähren kann . Hä ?? . Das fragt doch niemals ein echter Promi. Auch die Textnachrichten waren seltsam. Erst machte er einer anderen Frau den Hof und sei verliebt. Dann war ich an der Reihe. Jetzt hat er mich weggekickt schreibt mir nicht mehr und nach mir eine Chinesin die er den Hof machte und sich verliebte. Jetzt ist er seit 2 Wochen nicht mehr online. Da stimmt doch was nicht. Die Follower die ihm folgen sind alles Frauen die Models sind . Hä ?? . Er nannte mich ständig Liebling wie ich geschlafen habe usw. Sein Account ist andrewgarfield_fanchats. Ein Betrüger? Bitte helfen Sie mir
I have been messaged by a person claiming to be Greg Rikaart. I was immediately suspicious as his wording was weird. He called me dear. He asked if he could be my friend and he asked a lot of personal questions without revealing anything himself.
Anyone been contacted by Harry Styles before? Someone is trying to contact me through telegram claiming they are Harry! They have not asked for any money or any other personal information just common chit chat! Please help me out
Been contacted by a supposedly Smokey Robinson. He has been communicating with me since April. Skeptical of who this person is, will not call me because I havent joined his fan club, yet. The cost to join his club is 3,000, to me that sounded outrageous, but then there some die hard fans out there.
I have been talking to Richard Rankin for months now and he wants to meet up with me, I can’t be 100% sure it is him. I want to believe it, he has never asked me for any personal information or money.
I’ve been contacted by “Susanna Hoffs”. Have you had complaints about this name ?
I chatted with a Korean celebrity (Lee Soo-Hyuk) instagram account (not verified) through messenger, I sent a text first, he texted back, he called me but I missed it, and just chatted, he asked for my information and money for fan-card. I reported to instagram and facebook. But the account is still there and the number of followers have risen to the same as his verified account. This gets me confused, was it really him, whom I chatted with or a scammer?
Hello
For the last month I thought I have been chatting with Sam Heughan on Google Chat.
Everything was going along ok. Just normal conversations. Then..he needed a Steam Card..I did not fall for that scam
Then now..he has offered me employment selling Bitcoin. He wants me to connect me with his management team.
I have tried to deter time making excuses..
Any suggestions as to how I can discourage the fake Sam Heughan from contacting me.
He sounds so convincing.
Many thanks
An actor a worked with several times, I will call him PF, posted on his Twitter page back in 2016 that he was raising money for his girlfriend’s short film on IndieGoGo. With a $50 donation, you get a personal thank you tweet; with a $100 donation, you get a FaceTime call. So I get in touch with one of our mutual movie business friends and ask if this is for real, and they said yes. So I donate $100. Flash forward to this past Christmas, I tweet to PF asking him what happened to the project and the video perk I donated for back in 2016. All his fans were thanking him for his FaceTime chats. What did he do? Blocked me on Twitter!
I got scammed by a real celebrity! Worst part is because it took me so long to realize this, IndieGoGo won’t give me my money back and my bank won’t help because it happens so many years ago.
I been talking to a person on Skype says he’s Johnny vanzant and he’s been talking to me about his wife and his relationship with her and I don’t get it .
He also had me look up a on line cryptocurrency app and take advantage of it of 200.00 .
I did my homework it’s a scam don’t fall for it this person needs to be put in jail .
I’m glad I did my homework no money was sent nor hurt feeling thank god he was on my side
I dont really know if im talking to the treal or fake johnny depp on messenger right now i really do need help with this and i d really appreciate it alot …
What if a celebrity wants to send you expensive gift like clothes, jewelry, flowers and new cars?
Somebody tried to scam me on google chat impersonating Rickey Smiley asking for fan club $$ I knew it was a lie when I asked for a video chat a red flag showed up in my mind he kept insisting to me please don’t tell anyone he really thought I was stupid I started doing my research & deleted all conversations. Oh he sent a screenshot of bank information & a fake manager name from his team every picture & video he sent me of Rickey Smiley was copied every time I asked for confirmation no reply Lord knows I out smarted the scammer & uninstalled the app.