4 common ways scammers use celebrity names to lure victims
All that glitters is not gold – look out
for bogus celebrity endorsements and other con jobs that aren’t going out of
fashion any time soon
Online scams are one of the favorite ways criminals
like to swindle unsuspecting victims out of their hard-earned money. And con
artists like to defraud their targets using different flavors of con jobs.
These schemes often exploit topics du jour,
such as COVID-19 vaccinations, or
involve scams promising an inheritance from a long-lost relative. Let’s look at
several ways con artists abuse the names and images of the rich and famous to
break the banks and hearts of not only loyal fans.
Cryptocurrency giveaways
This one could be considered a scam
favorite. Fake
cryptocurrency giveaways have been around since cryptocurrency stopped
being the purview of Satoshi Nakamoto enthusiasts and started making waves once
it hit mainstream coverage.
To reach as many people as possible,
criminals use an array of channels, often hijacking YouTube accounts with a
large number of followers or spreading the faux giveaways through Twitter. They
then ask people to send digital cash to a bitcoin address, promising to double
the sum as part of the giveaway; the victims will never see a dime of their
cryptocurrency ever again.
To make it seem legitimate, scammers try to
make it look like the giveaways are endorsed or funded by tech titans. Bill
Gates is often impersonated in these scams, which is an odd tactic since the
Microsoft founder has often spoken out against cryptocurrencies. However, Elon
Musk is a big fan of cryptocurrencies and as such is also often impersonated
when it comes to these scams. In one such attack, the name of the Tesla and
SpaceX boss was even incorporated in the Bitcoin address itself.
Facebook Live, guess and ye shall receive – or not
Some celebrities enjoy interacting with
their fans by going live on Facebook or Instagram. While fans appreciate the
efforts their favorite celebs put into creating content for them or that they
answer some of their questions, scammers use the live videos to trick loyal
fans out of money.
To this end, a criminal will create fake
accounts that mirror the celebrity’s real social media accounts, including
posts, pictures and videos. However, the name will be misspelled or
supplemented with a word like "TV", "fan page", etc.
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That will be followed with live streaming a
video that the celeb posted or live streamed some time ago, with the
description reading something like, “the first 1000 to comment will receive
US$1,000”, and complete with using trending hashtags to make it easy to find.
Once fans interact with the video, they’ll
get a message with instructions on claiming their prizes, which might involve
clicking on a link and filling out their sensitive personal information or
sending money from their account. They’ll lose the money and their data can be
abused for further scams.
Want to support my charitable cause?
Another celebrity scams involves creating
bogus accounts impersonating celebrities and reaching out to fans directly in
messages. This can occur on any social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
The tactic isn’t sophisticated; the victims
receive a direct message from the bogus account and the impostor acting as the
celebrity will ask them to contribute to a charity they are purportedly
supporting. They could be offered tickets to non-existent private concerts and
other pretexts that would convince them to part with their money.
As is usually the case, the victims will
lose money and the charity will never see a penny of the money the victim
“donated”. For example, a Bruce Springsteen impersonator was able to trick one
person out of more than trick one person out of more than US$11,000.
Invest in this, I did!
Another popular strategy employed by online
con artists to make a quick buck – trick unwitting victims into putting money
into “investments” that are supposedly backed by celebrities.
Investment scams aren’t new, and always
communicate the same message – multiply your investment quickly and easily
while mostly implying that the outcome is “guaranteed”. This is another twist
on the same old concept.
The scheme usually takes the form of
various popup ads posing as articles claiming an amazing return on investment,
complete with headlines like “celebrity X invested in this company or product
and saw the investment quadruple” or “celebrity Z advises to put your money in
this as it is the future”.
The investment opportunity is usually fake and
sometimes the opportunity may be based on a real one, but the money will never
be deposited. Only the criminals behind the scheme are getting rich.
How can you stay safe?
Spotting scams like these doesn’t take a
lot of work, thanks to protective measures taken by social media platforms to
distinguish real celebrities from impostors. When a “celebrity” contacts you,
the easiest to do is take a look whether their profile is verified; Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter all use a verified badge in the form of a tick next to
the username.
Various charities and investment
opportunities can be checked out through a quick Google search to see whether
they are genuine. For safe measure you can contact them directly about whether
they are cooperating with a specific celebrity.
The best way to protect yourself is to
remain vigilant and question everything that seems even a tiny bit suspicious.
And following up on those suspicions won’t hurt. After all, if something sounds
too good to be true, it almost certainly is.