As of: January 29, 2024, 1:57 p.m
By: Jörg Heinrich
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TV commissioner Axel Prahl is one of the “victims”.
He warned fans on the Internet: Don't let yourself get paid for autographs!
© Markus Scholz/dpa
Fans who are highly engaged on social media are considered particularly at risk: crooks are increasingly using fake profiles of celebrities to rip off fans.
Anonymous fraudsters slip into the masks of celebrities to carry out their dirty tricks.
When celebrities, be they pop singers, actors or athletes, suddenly address one of their fans directly via social media - you might feel flattered at first.
And you ask yourself: What do Roland Kaiser, Iris Berben or Thomas Müller want from me?
In fact, this phenomenon is not that rare.
And lots of people have already fallen for it out of sheer enthusiasm for their idols.
Watchlist Internet now expressly warns against the fake celebrities who are becoming more and more unabashed on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
IPPEN.MEDIA
answers the most important questions.
Fraud with fake celebrities: What exactly is it about?
The fraud experts describe the scam like this: “Criminals create fake profiles on which they pose as stars in order to take money out of loyal fans’ pockets.” So the fraudsters are looking for fans who are particularly enthusiastic about their stars on social media write.
These are the ideal victims who are then targeted with private messages on Facebook & Co., but also via WhatsApp and Telegram.
A common fraud method is the “love scam” (love scam), in which criminals quickly pretend to be the love of their lives, build trust, but never lead to a real meeting.
Instead, after a while they demand money, for example for legal fees.
In Austria, a fraudster posed as Austropop musician Christopher Seiler (“Seiler and Speer”) and demanded 30,000 euros for alleged legal fees.
Scam with alleged stars: How else is cheating done?
Another scam is so-called charity scams, in which criminals ask for donations for charitable purposes in the name of celebrities.
They make promises about concert tickets or private meetings that they then fail to keep.
The money goes directly to the fraudsters.
In “fake contests,” alleged celebrities contact fans to lure them to websites where they are asked to leave personal information or pay fees.
In live streams, for example, it says: “The first 1,000 people who comment will receive a prize.” These competitions often end in subscription traps or lead to the download of malware.
How do I recognize celebrity clones?
In general, it is very unlikely that a celebrity will make direct contact with their fans.
Here - with all love to the star - all alarm lights should light up immediately.
It is also a warning signal if a well-known profile has noticeably few subscribers.
A pop star with 30 or 40 followers is very dubious and indicates a freshly created, fake account.
It is therefore advisable to research the celebrity's name in a search engine using terms such as "scam" or "fraud".
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What are other warning signs?
An important indication of the authenticity of a profile is the “blue tick” for verification.
One should be skeptical if this is missing and search for the star's name on the platforms to find the real, verified profile.
The fact that alleged celebrities demand money from their fans is the last and ultimate warning sign that it is a scam.
Because celebrities are looking for attention and clicks on social media, but not money.
Therefore: never pay!
Unfortunately, the trick with gullible fans always works.
In one case, the name of a celebrity from a European royal family was used particularly boldly for an Internet scam: Charlène of Monaco: Fraudsters used her good name.