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Did your favorite celebrity reach out to you on social media?

Before you get too excited, are you sure it’s that person? Really sure? We’ve heard reports that scammers, who will try just about anything to separate you from your money, are now posing as celebrities on social media. They’re asking fans to send money for all kinds of supposed reasons – like claiming a prize, donating to a charity, or giving help of some kind. Some celebs do raise money for legitimate causes. But you want to be sure the cause—and the person asking you to support it—are real.

Imposter scams come in many varieties, but they all work the same way: a scammer pretends to be someone you trust to convince you to send them money. And that’s exactly what these celebrity imposters are trying to do.

So what should you do if a celebrity contacts you on social media and asks for money?

  • Slow down. Before you send money, talk with someone you trust.
  • Do some research: search online for the celebrity’s name plus “scam.” Do the same with any charity or cause they’re asking you to support—and learn more about charity scams here.
  • Never send money, gift cards or prepaid debit cards to someone you don’t know or haven’t met – even celebrities you meet on social media.
  • If you sent money to a scammer, contact the company you used to send the money (your bank, wire transfer service, gift card company, or prepaid debit card company). Tell them the transaction was a fraud. Ask the company to reverse the transaction, if it’s possible.
  • Report your experience to the social media site and to the FTC.

To learn more about imposter scams, visit FTC.gov/imposters.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
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  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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CautiousCritter
September 20, 2021
To date I have been contacted by multiple Joe Elliott’s, multiple Hugh Jackman’s, Adam Lambert, Jack Wagner, Pierce Brosnan, Ryan Reynolds... I did not fall for any of them... it’s getting bad out there on social media.
Linda-Marie
September 22, 2021
Has anyone been scammed by Tom Ellis in Hangouts?
Michelle
October 12, 2021
Beware of the scammer claiming to be Jimin of BTS, actually scammers are claiming to be all of BTS. It’s a really good scam they have going on. I almost believed them. It took me awhile to figure it out. Just be careful out there.?
Jvl
October 12, 2021
I'm pretty sure I'm being scammed by a famous rock singer. He commented on a post I made about the late Hilton Valentine. He did ask me to switch to hangouts. How hurtful and hateful.
Almostabeliever
October 26, 2021
Been in a conversation on Hangouts with Chris Robinson after seeing Black Crowes live. The longer it goes the more skeptical I am. Started on FB then messenger. Asked to delete all and join Hangouts because he is not supposed to respond to fans. Called me on Hangouts a couple times in the beginning. I could see him but couldn't hear and the calls were never really successful. Been talking on hangouts for 2 months. I screenshot FB and Messenger conversations before deleting. When looking back, there is not a blue check mark. Anyone else have this happen with him? Would love to think I have been truly chatting with the real Chris Robinson but I highly doubt it now.
Hailey
October 27, 2021
How to check its scam?