Con artists posing as Tom Jones and Celine Dion have duped pensioners in neighbouring villages into sending them thousands of pounds – as police issue a warning about the rise in hoax celebrity scams.
Elderly pensioners have been targeted as part of the fake celebrity ruse, with one woman in her 90s handing over £13,000 to a conman pretending to be Welsh singer Jones.
The fake singers duped residents in villages across Hampshire’s New Forest after contacting them on Facebook, promising them a car or telling them they’d been robbed. In return, they were told to pay costs and taxes in the form of gift cards.
Hampshire Constabulary revealed one woman in her 90s from Milford on Sea was cleaned out of £13,000 in just three weeks in July this year.
Meanwhile, a man in his 60s from nearby Lymington tricked by a dummy Dion. He was told the Canadian singer had been robbed and persuaded him to pay £910 in money and gift cards.
Elderly pensioners in Hampshire (pictured speaking to police) have been targeted as part of the fake celebrity ruse, with one woman in her 90s handing over £13,000 to a conman pretending to be Welsh singer Jones.
One woman in her 90s handing over £13,000 to a conman pretending to be Welsh singer Tom Jones
A man in his 60s was told Celine Dion (pictured) had been robbed and persuaded him to pay £910 in money and gift cards
Police are now urging residents to be vigilant of bogus celebrities and other online scammers.
Earlier this year, a woman revealed how she was catfished by a man pretending to be Gary Barlow – who turned out to be a scammer attempting to take her money.
Janet Smith, 62, from Colchester, Essex, genuinely believed she was talking to the Take That singer for about a week, after she added him as a friend on Facebook.
The fake Barlow bombarded her with compliments and messages and said he had ‘split up’ – which Janet took to mean from his wife.
She believed she’d added the popstar last month, and was talking to him all week – sometimes from 9am all the way through to 3am the following morning.
In a long string of messages, he told Janet he loved her and praised her dancing in videos.
The scammer would break up discussions, however, by claiming to be in a meeting and to be practicing for a concert.
Janet Smith, 62, genuinely believed she was talking to the Take That singer for about a week, after she added him as a friend on Facebook
The fake Gary bombarded her with compliments and messages and said he had ‘split up’ – which Janet took to mean from his wife
When he started to ask for money after a few days, Janet, who works in a pizza restaurant, started to get suspicious and realised the man she was speaking to couldn’t be the real Barlow.
Sergeant Leigh Brown, of Lymington neighbourhood policing team, said: ‘These types of criminals often target the most vulnerable, including, as was the case here, elderly members of our communities.
‘The offenders gain their trust and convince them to part with their hard-earned money and savings.
‘We’re determined to do as much as we can to reduce the number of victims of this type of crime.’
The police recently met with residents in Milford on Sea to discuss safety on the internet.
They were taught tips to avoid falling victim to such scams, include being aware that a person online may not be who they say they are and that money shouldn’t be sent to anyone online before speaking with a trusted person.
Sgt Brown added: ‘Never send money, gift cards or prepaid debit cards to someone you don’t know or haven’t met – even celebrities you meet on social media.’
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