Beware of the "Artist in Love" Scam on Social Media
A new scam is targeting social media users, where fraudsters pose as celebrities to gain trust and ask for money or personal info
The idea of receiving a private message from a celebrity can be exciting, but it can also be a carefully designed scam to gain trust and ask for money or personal information. The Cyber Police of the Ministry of Citizen Security of Mexico City has warned about this method, known as the "artist in love" scam.
## How the Scam Works The scam starts with creating fake profiles using photos, names, and other elements associated with a celebrity. The fraudsters then contact followers directly through social media or messaging apps, trying to make them believe that there is a personal interest. The conversation can go on for a while to build trust, with the fake celebrity expressing affection or promising a meeting. However, the problem arises when the fake relationship turns into a concrete request for money.
The pretext for the request can vary, including medical expenses, travel, legal problems, gift shipments, or exclusive memberships. The fraudsters may also ask for gift cards, cryptocurrencies, or bank transfers.
## The Scam Can Go Beyond Money The scam can go beyond just asking for money. Once trust is established, the fraudster may also try to obtain personal data, identification documents, bank information, passwords, or verification codes. This adds another layer of risk, as the obtained data can be used to try to access other accounts or commit identity theft.
To avoid falling victim to this scam, it is recommended to be cautious when receiving messages from unknown contacts and to avoid sharing sensitive information. It is also a good idea to verify that the account belongs to the real celebrity by checking their official profiles, contrasting photos, and doing reverse image searches.
## Red Flags to Watch Out For A clear warning sign is when a supposed celebrity contacts you out of the blue, gains your trust, and then asks for money. Just because a profile uses real photos of a celebrity does not mean that the person behind the account is actually that celebrity.
In this context, the Cyber Police recommends maintaining a critical attitude, even when the conversation seems convincing. Activating two-step authentication, limiting public information on social media, and blocking and reporting suspicious profiles can reduce the chances of the scam advancing.
If you have already deposited money or shared sensitive information, the authority recommends contacting your bank immediately, changing potentially compromised passwords, and keeping screenshots, links, and usernames.
The Cyber Police of Mexico City also receives reports on the phone at 55 5242 5100, extension 5086, by email at policia.cibernetica@ssc.cdmx.gob.mx, and on official social media accounts @SSC_CDMX and @UCS_GCDMX.
