Idris Elba has warned his fans not to send money to scammers impersonating him and other celebrities on social media.
In a video message posted on his Instagram account, which was captioned “Beware of Fakes and Snakes“, the Luther star revealed his name had been “brought into” scams “so many times” and warned his admirers not to be duped out of their hard-earned cash.
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“The way social media is set up, people can set up profiles and pretend to be whoever they want, and what’s happening as a result is that people are faking celebrities, public figures and asking for money, and getting that money,” he explained. “They’re getting that money from people that are working hard, that like a certain public figure and want to support whatever they’re supporting and getting ripped off.”
Asking his fans to be “really, really careful”, Idris, 45, advised that if he wanted to raise money for a cause he would ensure it was through a verified process.
Other stars who have been forced to issue warnings about scammers using their identity include Oprah Winfrey and Robert Downey, Jr., who also discovered fraudsters were asking for money using their names.
