Can You Be Scammed By A Celebrity Imposter?

How I helped take down a celebrity imposter

If the iconic Marilyn Monroe was alive today, no doubt she would have many followers…and imposters, too. Social media offers a power that has helped celebrities and influencers gain massive followers, which allows them to sell products and services, making them millions of dollars.

But ordinary people like us can become victims of imposters who pose as celebrities on social media sites.

It happened to me on Instagram recently. I received a message from what I thought was a famous psychic medium. My father had recently passed and I was grieving, and hoping someday to make contact with him, via dreams or some other supernatural way.

I got a message from what I thought was a famous psychic medium. The celebrity imposter had an Instagram account that had lots of followers, so from my perspective, the account seemed legitimate.

But I noticed a few things that were a bit off because the messages in my Instagram inbox were rife with a few spelling errors. Still, I was initially a bit flattered at being contacted by who I thought was the real deal. I sent a message thanking the recipient for his books, which offered me comfort during my time of grief.

Then the imposter offered to do some readings for me at what I thought were ridiculously affordable prices. I replied that I was not quite ready for a psychic reading because his books suggested waiting at least 6 months, following the death of a family member. The imposter seemed a bit disappointed and replied back and kept being a bit too pushy for my comfort. I ended the conversation and said I would get back to him.

Feeling suspicious, I went on the psychic's official website and sent an email asking if he was on Instagram trying to arrange a reading with me. The next day, I got a reply from his assistant who was appalled and had no idea that her employer had a duplicate Instagram account that was started by an imposter. The assistant immediately contacted Facebook and Instagram to shut down the imposter. It took a while before the account got taken down, and hopefully, I had helped stop future fraudulent transactions from taking place.

Too late. Someone sent a comment on the psychic’s official website that she had paid for a reading with the imposter a few weeks ago.

Is There A Lesson In This?

Yes, there is. Be aware that there are celebrity imposters out there. And they are out to take your money by offering fake readings or by telling you to donate to their favorite charity or organization, which may end up being the fraudster’s personal bank account.

Just the other day, I got another message from someone posing as a famous singer. If you get a message from a celebrity, think twice. It may not be the real deal, but someone with a career in online fraud. Report the account and walk away.

I realize that it will be hard to stop all the celebrity imposter fraud from happening on a day-to-day basis. Still, I think it’s worthwhile to take a crack at helping to shut down these nuisance accounts. We can also help prevent being duped by being savvy and trusting your instincts.

Til next time.

I would like to give a shout out to:

Nikki Williams …Please check her out.

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