On social media, a fraudster can pretend to be anyone – even a well-known celebrity reaching out to speak directly to one of their fans – you!
“But it is not true. These are not the celebrities reaching out,” said Amy Nofziger at the AARP Fraud Watch Network, who told me they’re hearing from people who’ve lost tens of thousands of dollars to these celebrity imposter scams.
If you know how this scam works, you can protect yourself. Nofziger gave me the following example.
“Let’s say I’m a huge fan of Blake Shelton, and I go on his social media page and say, ‘I love you, Blake.’ All of a sudden, I get a DM (direct message) from someone pretending to be Blake Shelton or his social media manager saying how flattered he was. And that’s where the conversation starts,” Nofziger explained.
And before long, you’re asked to send money. Sometimes it’s to help with the celebrity’s charitable work. Remember, it’s all a ruse to steal your money.
“Any time you’re engaging on any fan page where there’s other people who are engaging there as well, because they can see all of your comments, all your personal information, and they can pretend to be whoever they want,” Nofziger warned. “If you don’t have your security settings properly set, they can reach out to you via direct message.”
If you get a call, text, email, or social media message and don’t know what to do, call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 before you provide an unknown caller with information or money. You do not need to be an AARP member to use this free service.