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.
It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.
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 don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.
In reply to Best suggestion is don't ever by John Henry
In reply to I just ran across this!! It by Skuie
In reply to Also theres a Jim Carey by Susy
In reply to Also theres a Jim Carey by Susy
In reply to Hahaha I'm chatting to "jim by Messy
In reply to What chats online you used to by steven
In reply to Also theres a Jim Carey by Susy
In reply to Jim carrey imposter on by Julie
In reply to Also theres a Jim Carey by Susy
In reply to Also theres a Jim Carey by Susy
In reply to I just ran across this!! It by Skuie
In reply to I had a similar incident when by Crushed123
In reply to I just had a chat with "Tom by Lgibs
In reply to I had a similar incident when by Crushed123
In reply to I was new on Instagram I by Melissa B
In reply to I was new on Instagram I by Melissa B
In reply to I was new on Instagram I by Melissa B
In reply to I was new on Instagram I by Melissa B
In reply to I had a similar incident when by Crushed123
In reply to I had "Tyler Perry " talk to by Alex Paul
In reply to I had "Tyler Perry " talk to by Alex Paul
In reply to wow did he ask you to link by Cam
In reply to Recently there was one with by KW
In reply to Wondering whether particular by Did you get th…
In reply to You really should investigate by Brenda
In reply to You really should investigate by Brenda
In reply to I have someone posing as by Sliver12
In reply to Here in 2021, Cillian Murphy by Bigwilm1
In reply to Wondering whether particular by Did you get th…
In reply to Wondering whether particular by Did you get th…
In reply to I’m getting messages from by Boyle
In reply to Who is your celeb? I hope I'm by Justice raines
In reply to Hello i think im getting scam by Help.me96
In reply to I'm getting texts from a by Really
In reply to A good friend’s 22 year old by Ccrows
In reply to A good friend’s 22 year old by Ccrows
In reply to Hello i think im getting scam by Help.me96
In reply to My favorite country artist by Help.me96
In reply to This country singer wouldn't by Worried_mom
In reply to Is the country singer have by Don't ubc girl…
In reply to Is the country singer have by Don't ubc girl…
In reply to Was it keith urban cause hes by Michigangirl
In reply to Was it keith urban cause hes by Michigangirl
In reply to This country singer wouldn't by Worried_mom
In reply to My favorite country artist by Help.me96
In reply to I know what your going by Surfergirl
Pagination