One of the best things about the Internet is that it brings everybody together. Before, there was an invisible barrier between us and celebrities. Now we can interact with them daily in Facebook and Instagram posts. We can join Reddit AMA’s (Ask Me Anything events) and even chat in the celebrities’ own chat rooms. They are posting daily and we can respond back, and sometimes you might get a reply from them. Well, there is a chance that it isn’t them. It’s more than likely one of their staff. But we can dream, right?
My Personal Encounter With This Scam
A few months ago, I saw that one of my favourite artists was coming to Vancouver on Facebook. I bought tickets and posted that I was going. A short while later I got a message from this artist in messenger. He said that he likes to keep in contact with his biggest fans. I will admit that I was a bit excited at the possibility that this was that celebrity. But, I was suspicious enough that I blocked them. And, I see how people can get caught up in this.
Real-Life Examples
I hear stories online all the time about seniors falling in love with celebrities. I recently read of a story that somebody’s grandmother is in a relationship with Post Malone (American Rapper and Singer). Some also think they are in a relationship with Keanu Reeves (John Wick and Matrix actor).
Fox 13 Tampa Bay reports – “In one case, a Bay Area woman lost $160,000 after believing she was in a relationship with [Keanu] Reeves. The scam began through a message on the game ‘”‘Words With Friends’ and escalated to financial requests under various pretenses.
The Times in the UK reported, “A French woman named Anne was deceived by scammers posing as Brad Pitt and his mother. Over a year-long online relationship, the fraudsters used AI-generated videos and messages to convince her of their identity. They extracted approximately €830,000 by claiming Pitt needed funds for customs fees and cancer treatment. The emotional toll led Anne to severe depression and multiple suicide attempts.”
They are contacted in much the same way I was above, but they kept the conversation going. These conversations can last for months, possibly years. The victim truly believes that the person they are dealing with is who they claim to be. They are convinced they are 100% in a relationship with them. They don’t see a problem that there is a 50 year age difference between them.
Hook, Line and Sinker
A lot of the time the scam is a long con. Scammers convince the victim that they are in love with them, exactly like other romance scams, they profess love quickly. They usually want secrecy and will use their celebrity status as a reason for that secrecy. They are never available to meet in person, and are unable to do video calls. The scammers will keep their communication to phone, email, or text. They might send pictures, but for a celebrity it wouldn’t be too hard to find pictures to use. Once they get them hooked, trust is born, and who knows what is shared between them. It might be personal information and they might know where the victim lives. In a story I was reading about the Post Malone case, they claim to have received flowers from Post Malone. That is really scary. There is a highly likely chance that this is just a random person who is most definitely not Post Malone.
The Scam
The scam usually follows. It is like any other romance scam. The celebrity wants or needs money to get out of a situation. They can’t access their massive fortunes to pay for it. They need help and didn’t know who to turn to for help. They turn to the victim for help
Protecting Yourself
The idea of being in a romance and being swept off your feet is a common one we all share. We all want to be loved. It is hard to keep a clear head when you are in love, it clouds everything. You do need to remember a few things;
- Never give any money to somebody you haven’t met in person.
- Be cautious with online relationships. Especially those that won’t meet in person or show their face on a video call.
- Use a reverse image search to check if the photos they are using are stolen.
- Talk to your friends and family, get their opinions on the seducer.
- Report it!
Additional Resources
There’s a really funny book about celebrity romance scams. It is eye-opening and called ‘Keanu Reeves Is Not In Love With You‘ by Becky Holmes. She shares her hilarious conversations with someone pretending to be Keanu Reeves. These conversations do a great job of showing how these scams work.