Endoresments Fraud

CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS

In the same way as Romance Fraudsters use strong and reliable persona such as Military or Medical personnel to convince victims that they are genuine, the use of celebrity persona to defraud potential victims is also common. 

The criminals may use high profile names of celebrities such as Aled Jones, Tom Jones, Elon Musk, Martin Lewis and various other well-known personalities. They may even have “harvested” and used the name of one of your favourite stars off your social media profile if that is public. 

One recent posting was from “Sir David Attenborough” endorsing investment in gold, natural gas and oil. Does that match up with his green and environmental ethos?

Fraudsters may contact you on social media or dating sites claiming to be that star or celebrity of screen, stage or the Pop music scene. They then ask to start a relationship, followed shortly later by requests for money to their own “Charity”, or in one case a tempting offer of a holiday away with them – usually at your cost!

Are such celebrities going to contact someone out of the blue who they do not know? In reality the criminals are exploiting the fact that the so-called investment looks less risky because of its association with that “Celebrity” thus giving it credibility and demonstrating success.

In other cases, fake websites have been set up with fake product and financial product endorsements claiming to be from well-known figures.

How to avoid and report celebrity ad frauds

When you see an advert online featuring a celebrity endorsement, there are a few questions you should ask yourself:

·  Is the celebrity posting from their official profile or account? Or has the advert been posted by a genuine brand account? You cannot always trust a verification tick, but a quick check of the account posting an advert can usually confirm if it is a fake account.

·  Are you being asked to hand over money or personal information? Do not be tempted to give this information away without checking the authenticity of the advert.

·  Check the web address: If you have clicked on an ad, look at the web address – is it the official site? If there are slight changes in spelling or errors, that is a red flag for a fraud.

·  Never click on links if you are suspicious of the content of the website or message, and always research any schemes by checking official websites 

·  If you are still uncertain, talk to friends or family for a second opinion as they may spot any idiosyncrasies in the content.

Finally, do you think that this celebrity is likely to be endorsing that product, or wishing to start a relationship with someone they have never met?

Please feel free to share these messages with any vulnerable friends, relatives or neighbours

If you have fallen for a fraud, 

Report it to Report Fraud (formerly known as ACTION FRAUD) on 0300 123 2040 or via reportfraud.police.uk

Scam Text messages can be forwarded to 7726to help phone providers take early action and block numbers that generate spam on their networks. You can also report Scam mobile calls by texting 7726with the word “Call” followed by the fraudulent caller’s phone number.

Forward Fake Emails received to report@phishing.gov.uk

If you think your bank account or personal banking details have been used fraudulently, then use the short phone number - 159 - to contact the Fraud Prevention Department of most major UK banks.

Sent from my iPhone