I actually didn’t plan to write about celebrity impersonation scams just yet because I’m very busy with writing my own book these days. Still, after spotting a fake Jennifer Aniston account and a Mark Harmon account — will come to that later — on Medium the other day, and watching Swedish silver model Mattias Frenne’s reel on Instagram, asking for help with reporting fake accounts using his photos, I decided it’s about time I wrote something about it.
Celebrity impersonation scams are big on the fraud scene right now. God, who am I kidding? They have always been big in the fraud scene, and they’re getting more clever than ever.
What are Celebrity Impersonation Scams?
A celebrity impersonation scam is a type of fraud where scammers use a celebrity’s name and image to trick people into giving them money or personal information — or in some cases, both.
As a side note: Celebrity impersonation scams are not to be confused with other types of impersonation scams, where these criminals pretend to be someone you know — as in ‘hi mum’ scams — or an organisation such as a bank or a big retail outlet’s customer service.
Just like any other online romance scam, these scammers create fake social media profiles to trick people through deceptive advertisements, fake documents and, increasingly, AI-generated “deepfake” videos (as seen above, although that is a terrible one) that make it appear as though the celebrity is endorsing fraudulent investments or products — such as VIP Membership cards as seen below.
I remember scammers selling tickets to Simply Red’s reunion concert a year before the real band did, and the sale was endorsed by Mick Hucknall’s (Huknall in this profile) fake account based in Nigeria:
How Do Celebrity Impersonation Scams Work?
It might be difficult for most of us to understand how anyone might be tricked into this type of scam, but as usual, these cybercriminals have a clever way to get the connection started.
And that connection starts in the comments section of the bona fide, verified real celebrity account on social media.
The scammers either claim to be the celebrity’s private or personal account or clone the celebrity’s entire account to make it look the same. After the accounts are created, they then start responding to the comments from real fans of real celebrities. They express gratitude for their support and loyalty — I must warn you, this interaction can look very real.
Sometime after the fraudsters connect with the fans, they either direct message them or ask them to initiate the direct messaging.
But there is another way these scammers make a connection with unsuspecting individuals: They do it by either creating an account or using a hacked account — which looks more genuine — and then they present themselves as the management or part of the professional team for that celebrity.
Again, they look at the comments section on the celebrity’s account and start engaging with the fans. In some cases, they claim that the celebrity has chosen a few fans to offer a private meet-and-greet session. Here’s an example of such a conversation with the courtesy of an anti-scam sister:
The Curious Case of Keanu Reeves Impersonation Scams
Keanu Reeves is, by far, one of the most used and abused personalities in celebrity impersonation scams.
First of all, Keanu Reeves is not on social media — only his band’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. That, on its own, makes it challenging to report Keanu Reeves fakes on any platform.
His band, Dogstar, has explicitly warned against interacting with unofficial “Keanu Reeves” accounts, stating that Keanu Reeves has no social media accounts, and any pages claiming to be him are scams. They also warn against engaging with any “private” or “secret” accounts, as these are not legitimate.
But Keanu Reeves is not the only one whose photos are exploited. Here’s an account, posing as his mother, Patricia Taylor:
As a dutiful son, he follows his mother’s account as seen above. Patricia Taylor seems to have a secret, though:
Here’s another mother, Keanu Reeves has:
We all wonder where this mother of Keanu Reeves is from, but the thing is, Patricia Taylor is not the only family member whose photos are being used in scams. This one below, interestingly, is an official fake account belonging to Karina Miller Reeves, Keanu’s sister. Through this account, Karina seems to be pimping her brother to total strangers.
I believe the sister’s account was hacked and turned into a scammer account until it was reported and deleted, as it is no longer available.
What Does a Fake Keanu Reeves Profile Look Like?
A fake Keanu Reeves account is the ultimate home for Photoshop overuse, badly cropped photos and verbal diarrhoea with poor grammar. Not to mention incredibly cheesy lines.
I think the photoshopping has gone too far in the last photo above.
Cheesy lines from this account:
Honey I know we haven’t met in person, but that doesn’t mean we are not meant to be together, I want you to know that you have already occupied the most precious place in my heart, I love you so much. If you’re there say hi to me honey.
Please were is my sweetheart I have been here for so long just say hi to me I can’t found you anymore were are tell please you know I really love you and I need you in my life I can’t even eat my food without you by my side please say hi to me beautiful lover
What Does a Fake Keanu Reeves Say If He’s Confronted by a Scam-Baiter?
This is where things get quite funny and ugly at the same time. Scam-baiters tend to know how to find fake accounts, and to prove their fakeness, they start talking to them privately. Then screenshots are provided for other scam-baiters to report the fake accounts simultaneously. I have one particular conversation here to show you how these criminals engage in others for their own gain.
But before we get to the conversation, please note that the parts where the scam-baiter replies to the scammer are deleted because there is a chance the scammer might report the scam-baiter for harassment, and that doesn’t end well for the scam-baiter. So, we remove our part of the conversation while the fake account is still active to avoid that.
This Keanu Reeves is quite sexist, don’t you think? In his little, pathetic world, a girl cannot be smart because she’s a girl.
The scammer is claiming to be in the US and asking the scam-baiter to prove him wrong. A cardinal mistake on his part. Here comes the proof:
And all of a sudden, his English gets even worse, and denial kicks in:
And the denial continues…
On a positive note, a young scammer impersonating Keanu Reeves has been arrested in Nigeria. This was in the year 2004.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced Aluko Tunmise Juwonlo, a self-acclaimed social media influencer and model, to one year in prison for impersonating Keanu Reeves on Telegram. This is punishable under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
What Do Big Tech Do About Celebrity Impersonation Scams?
The short answer is: not much, even though they have the technology to scan and automatically remove these fake celebrity accounts.
Because there’s a catch on their behalf…
The reason they don’t eliminate these fake scammers’ accounts is that it would reveal how few genuine users they have; they need the scammers to inflate their user numbers and make them appear more popular.
This works particularly well for their paid ad revenue. So well, in fact, they even allow ads for human trafficking. For as long as they get their money, it doesn’t matter whose life they’re ruining. Profit is more important than human beings.
Instagram is one of the worst platforms when it comes to reporting and getting results. As you can see below, ‘davisemreric’ account on Instagram not only uses Jim Newman’s photos but is also based in Nigeria. What happened when I reported it? It wasn’t removed. But hey, Instagram still wants to help. What a joke!
On Instagram, they also hide our comments, even when we warn others about fake accounts. You have to click on ‘hidden by Instagram’ sign to reveal what was posted as you can see at the top right corner below:
The situation is not vastly different on TikTok, either. This is how anti-scam advocates are being treated when they warn other people:
One of my antiscam sisters reported a fake Keanu Reeves account on TikTok, and they removed it, saying it was against their community guidelines. She appealed, and the post was restored.
At the end of last year, Meta deleted her Instagram account for warning people about romance scams. Her account was 7 years old and dedicated to raising awareness.
What Do Medium Do When Someone Like Me Reports Fake Accounts?
For a while, Medium does nothing. It’s almost like they deal with reported accounts only once a week. That’s certainly how it feels in my experience.
Here’s the problem with this sporadic account suspension: The longer these fake accounts linger on any platform, not just Medium, the more damage they do.
This is exactly what happened with a fake Mark Harmon account on Medium:
I immediately took screenshots and reported the fake account to Medium, and with that, the waiting game began.
While Medium was taking its time removing this fake Mark Harmon account, people were engaging in conversations with the scammer behind it. I tried to reach out to them, but since there is no private messaging in Medium, I was limited.
After reporting this account to Medium, I emailed him at the address he so freely provided, but I have never heard from Mark. I’m totally and utterly wounded!
Warning Signs of a Celebrity Impersonation Scam
As with any fraud, there are warning signs to spot in celebrity impersonation scams.
To protect yourself, look out for these red flags:
- Unverified Accounts: The accounts typically lack the official blue check mark on social media platforms.
- Unsolicited Messages: Genuine celebrities rarely initiate personal, one-on-one conversations with strangers through unverified channels. Neither do their management teams.
- Fast Emotional Intimacy: Scammers often push for a quick, deep emotional connection to build trust and manipulate victims. As the author Becky Holmes says, Keanu Reeves is not in love with you.
- Requests for Money or Personal Information: Any request for money, gift cards, or sensitive personal information is a major red flag.
